New Jets GM Darren Mougey sounds a lot like his old bosses, John Elway and George Paton
Feb 25, 2025, 11:29 AM | Updated: 2:04 pm
INDIANAPOLIS — Darren Mougey learned an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge in 12 years in the Denver Broncos’ personnel executive. He also learned about press-conference phrases, too.
When Mougey, now the New York Jets’ general manager, met media at the NFL Scouting Combine here Thursday afternoon, he sounded like a cross between both of his old bosses — former Broncos general manager John Elway and the current GM, George Paton.
Start with Elway. He first hired Mougey as a scouting intern in 2012, Elway’s second year as the Broncos’ primary decision-making football executive. Mougey quickly rose through the ranks, an ascent that continued under Paton. And as Elway settled in, he often described his goal with the Broncos as to “win now — and from now on.”
For Elway’s first six seasons, of course, the Broncos did that. Then came the dark days.
But that didn’t stop Darren Mougey from sounding like his first Broncos boss.
“Every decision AG [Jets head coach Aaron Glenn] and I make since we’ve got here and moving forward is with the goal of winning now and from now on,” Mougey said, asking for “trust in that AG and I are making every decision that we think is the best for the team now and from now on to win games.”
Mougey found himself staring down the queries from the New York-area media about moves such as the decision to part ways with Aaron Rodgers, a move Mougey described as best for the team.
The channeling of Elway closely followed when Mougey sounded much like Paton when discussing draft plans:
“At seven right now, we’re going to be open to potentially moving up for a player or moving back,” he said. “All those options are on the table right now.”
Paton used nearly the exact same phase when discussing what the Broncos could do with first-round picks in 2021, 2022 — at the Scouting Combine before trading the pick for Russell Wilson — and 2024.
One doesn’t know if Darren Mougey will be a general manager in the style of either Elway or Paton.
But at the NFL Scouting Combine it’s clear that he sounds an awful lot like both of them.
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