Nothing is decided at owner meetings at the end of March.

Yet, as the New York Jets and their fans know, the week in Arizona is a good barometer to tell where the organization’s mindset is. It’s also a good opportunity to commence any potential trade negotiations with other teams ahead of the draft.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey knew he didn’t need to openly discuss his team’s plans, but he spoke anyway. Better yet, he dropped some interesting nuggets that fans can take with them over the next few weeks.

From the team’s star running back to the quarterback room and NFL draft plans, Mougey’s plan seems to be coming to fruition in New York.

Here are the biggest takeaways from his media availability on Monday…

Breece Hall

New York has spent over $40 million in cap space on free agents and trades this offseason. The main focus now needs to be on what they do with their top running back, Breece Hall.

New York placed the running back on the franchise tag that pays him $14 million for the 2026 season. A reason for the decision, though, was that the team wanted more time to negotiate a long-term contract with the former second-round pick.

On Monday, Mougey explained where talks were heading at this point.

“Good, things are in a good place, and I’m hopeful with Breece,” Mougey said. “Obviously, we’ll get through this draft process. After the draft, I’ll kind of shift my focus back there and hopefully get something done with Breece.”

None of this should surprise fans.

The Jets were close on an extension with Hall before the tag deadline and had to make sure he would be on the roster in 2026. They did exactly that.

Now, they can be patient when they agree to terms with the 1,000-yard runner. The deadline to agree to a long-term contract is in July.

Mougey deciding to wait until after the draft to get a deal done is par for the course for organizations around the league.

Jets quarterback room

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed on NFL Network over the weekend that the team would not have a quarterback competition this year. Newly acquired Geno Smith is the team’s starting quarterback in 2026.

Mougey confirmed as much on Monday as well.

“We had a lot of good discussions about Geno,” Mougey said. “Obviously, you all know Geno, too, and his familiarity with New York. Last year, we evaluated Geno as well. We had good grades on him, we had some guys here that were familiar with him, and we felt he would be a good fit for what we’re doing moving forward.”

But what about the team’s long-term plans for the position?

New York could draft one of the young signal-callers like Ty Simpson or Drew Allar in April. They could also address the backup role by selecting from a number of available veterans still on the open market.

To Mougey, all options are on the table.

“We feel good about the quarterback room, but we could potentially add another guy to the room before the draft,” Mougey added. “We’ll see where that goes, but we’ll monitor that quarterback market and see where we’re at.”

Currently, Bailey Zappe and former undrafted free agent Brady Cook are the backup quarterbacks on the New York Jets roster. It’s a safe bet to assume the Jets will address the position at least once over the next few months.

Will McDonald

New York has decisions to make about its draft strategy and a long-term plan regarding the previously mentioned Breece Hall.

One underrated decision, though, is at edge rusher and former first-round pick Will McDonald.

From a pure pass-rushing perspective, McDonald has been as advertised coming out of Iowa State. He has recorded 21.5 sacks in three seasons with the team and is eligible for his fifth-year option to be picked up.

Mougey confirmed that it was something on the team’s radar.

“I would anticipate us picking up the fifth-year option as well,” Mougey said.

Bringing McDonald back after trading Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans is a vote of confidence for the edge rusher. While he needs to improve his frame and work as a run defender, it pays to get to the quarterback.

That’s exactly what McDonald has done in his career so far.

Draft plans

The betting favorite to be the second overall pick by the Jets is Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese. Just because that appears to be the perception, though, doesn’t mean New York is running to the table to get him.

Mougey remained far more distant on that decision.

“I feel good about where we’re at in the process, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Mougey said. “We’ll get back to Jersey by the end of this week. We’ll really fire up our meetings next week, and have a lot of good discussions over the next few weeks leading up to the draft.”

The Jets have four picks inside the top 50 this year and two in the first round. They still have needs at edge rusher, wide receiver, and other key depth spots along the roster.

While edge rusher remains in play for the Jets, Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. are other options for the team to consider.

They also have the flexibility to trade down from the second pick as well, so fans can’t rule that out either.