There are 25 NFL free agents who have signed for at least $25 million guaranteed to join a new team this offseason. Just one of them (Justin Fields) was signed by the New York Jets.
First-year Jets general manager Darren Mougey executed a notoriously frugal plan in his debut free agency frenzy. He only signed two outside free agents to deals with at least $10 million guaranteed: Fields and cornerback Brandon Stephens.
While an understandable (and admirable) approach for the rookie decision-maker, Mougey did leave quite a few gaping holes unplugged, raising questions among the fanbase as to what his plan is. It pays to save money in free agency, but why didn’t Mougey sign a few more cheap free agents to fill some of the team’s pressing vacancies?
Perhaps this is the answer.
Darren Mougey is playing the game
A few weeks back, we highlighted Mougey’s early maximization of the compensatory draft pick system.
By focusing on players who do not qualify as compensatory free agents (CFAs), Mougey has positioned the Jets to net compensatory draft picks, something his predecessor struggled to do. Mougey primarily accomplished this by signing players on cheap salaries that are not high enough to qualify as CFAs, but there are other ways to game the system.
For instance, former Chargers tight end Stone Smartt was a restricted free agent who did not receive a tender from his team. When a player reaches the open market in this way, they do not qualify as a CFA. Additionally, former Jaguars wide receiver Josh Reynolds became a free agent via release, which is another path to free agency that prevents a player from counting as a CFA.
There is another criterion that can be maximized to avoid hurting yourself in the compensatory system, and it could explain why Mougey has left so many holes in the starting lineup going into the draft.
If a free agent is signed after 4 p.m. ET on the Monday following the NFL draft, he does not count as a CFA, as stated in the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement. For a player to count as a CFA, they must be an unrestricted free agent coming off an expiring contract who signed with a new team from the start of the league year up to 4 p.m. ET on the Monday following the NFL draft.
Bingo.
At the moment, Mougey has the Jets well-positioned in the compensatory formula. According to Over The Cap, the Jets are currently projected to net three comp picks in the 2026 draft (one fourth-round, two seventh-round). That is a greater haul than Joe Douglas’ entire five-year tenure (three total comp picks; one sixth-round, two seventh-round).
If Mougey signs any new free agents between now and Monday, April 28 at 4 p.m. ET, it would risk eliminating one of the selections. But if he just waits a few more weeks, he can do whatever he likes with no repercussions on the compensatory system.
The Jets still have gaping holes in the starting lineup at right tackle, wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, and kicker. Their depth needs strengthening at safety and defensive end. Not all of these holes will be filled in the draft.
At this point, it makes sense for Mougey to wait and see how the draft plays out before dipping back into the free agency pool. After the draft passes by, he will have a clearer picture of the team’s greatest needs, and he can address them without compromising future draft picks.
After many years of Joe Douglas showing no regard for the compensatory system (a tool that is weaponized by most of the league’s top franchises), it is refreshing to see Mougey displaying an acute awareness of this advantageous team-building strategy.
