While Kevin O’Connell has earned greater name recognition for his incredible work as the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach, he was once a backup quarterback with the New York Jets.
Now, the team that he spent two seasons with (2009-10) is being led by his college roommate at San Diego State, general manager Darren Mougey.
Speaking to the media on Zoom ahead of golfing in the American Century Championship, O’Connell praised Mougey and the Jets for their “well thought-out” plan.
“I just think the plan that he’s had has been really well thought-out,” he said. “It’s one thing — a lot of teams put the time and the energy in to have as much good planning as you can — but it’s about the execution of those plans. The way Darren has gone about it doesn’t surprise me.”
He also added that he has spoken to Mougey multiple times throughout the offseason, often complimenting him for his moves.
“Most of the time I was complimenting him on whether it was a great draft they had, or how they handled some of their internal situations there — getting their running back (Breece Hall re-signed),” he added.
As we’ve broken down, Mougey has done a tremendous job of locking up homegrown talent and signing them to multi-year extensions, like Breece Hall and Joe Tippmann, while also rewarding players who have overperformed with extensions.
Throughout nine combined offseasons, Mougey’s predecessors, Joe Douglas and Mika Maccagnan, signed just seven players to multi-year extensions.
Across two offseasons in that role, Mougey has already matched that mark, extending linebacker Jamien Sherwood, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, cornerback Sauce Gardner, center Josh Myers, tight end Jeremy Ruckert, running back Breece Hall, and offensive lineman Joe Tippmann.
While the results will need to be evident on the field, O’Connell and a large portion of the Jets’ fanbase rightfully appear to be optimistic about the organization’s offseason transactions.
