Mougey Strikes

Edition #1044: Mougey strikes with a bargain trade, and what else happened on Day 1 of the legal tampering period?

Good morning ☕

So it all started with a bang.

After being warned by the beat reporters to not expect that much early from the Jets, they pulled off a heist before the clock struck 12.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, 5x Pro Bowler Minkah Fitzpatrick, 3x All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick, 8th ranked safety in football last season Minkah Fitzpatrick is a New York Jet, and all they had to give up was a 7th round pick. Madness.

Let’s recap everything that happened on Day 1 of legal tampering. Interestingly the Jets signed three different players with Nigerian heritage.

INCOMING 🛬

• Minkah Fitzpatrick - 3 years and $40 million (7th round draft pick)

• Demario Davis - 2-year, $22 million ($15M fully guaranteed)

• Kingsley Enagbare - 1-year, $10 million

• Joseph Ossai - 3 years for $36 million ($22.5M fully guaranteed)

• David Onyemata - 1 year for $10.5 million ($9.65M guaranteed)

• Dane Belton - 1 year deal for $4 million, can max out at $6 million

OUTGOING 🛫

• Nick Folk signed a 2-year deal

• John Simpson signed a 3-year $30 million deal with the Ravens.

• AVT signs a 3-year $42 million deal with the Patriots

• Quincy Williams signed a 2-year $17 million deal.

RE-SIGNINGS ✍️

• Andrew Beck re-signs on a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million

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Jets trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick 💥

As we were patiently waiting for the clock to strike 12, Darren Mougey was already pulling strings trading a 7th round pick for 3x All Pro Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a New Jersey native.

Jets Get: Minkah Fitzpatrick
Dolphins Get: 7th-Round Draft Pick & nearly $13 million dead cap.
Minkah Gets: New 3-year deal worth $40 million.

This is an outstanding deal for the Jets who get one of the best safeties in football, weaken a division rival and had to part with just a 7th round pick.

Fitzpatrick may have had a down year in 2025 but even his down year is significantly better than anyone the Jets had prowling the secondary last season.

Based on the 66 safeties who appeared in at least 600 snaps last season, PFF had Fitzpatrick as the 5th best safety in football last year. The 15th best safety against the run and the 8th best safety against the pass.

At the trade deadline there were plenty of scenarios played out in the media with Fitzpatrick getting traded for 2nd round picks plus some, so to wait it out and get him for a 7th is outstanding work by Mougey who continues to show that he has a pulse for the trade market.

Fitzpatrick has historically been a ball-hawk for his entire career, although pickings have been sparse recently. He has 21 career interceptions, but only 3 in the last three years, but in the right defense the potential is there.

He can also operate in several different ways, as a free safety, as a slot corner or even dropping in as an extra linebacker in some packages.

While with the Steelers back in 2019 he recorded 5 interceptions in the Keith Butler defense. Then in 2022 under Teryl Austin in Pittsburgh he had 6.

The Jets are coming off a year where they recorded 0 interceptions, so adding someone like Fitzpatrick will work wonders in terms of their turnover ability.

Fitzpatrick will also help in terms of the secondary communication and will act as a veteran presence for the development of Malachi Moore.

I look at this deal and I see very little to be negative about. The $40 million isn’t a bad price to pay a safety of his calibre, even if he never returns to those ball-hawking days in Pittsburgh.

As the first act of the day…this was a home run by Darren Mougey.

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Demario Davis Returns ✍️

If you can find a Jets fan who loves Demario Davis more than me, I’d love to meet them.

Back in 2012 I wrote a piece for GGN about a little talked about OLB from Arkansas State, you can read the full piece HERE but I’ve pulled out some snippets:

First of all it’s Davis who is just a beast, a bad mother *watch your mouth* who is a breakout star waiting to happen. I’m willing to bet that if Davis, a 6’3 230lb guy was with Alabama or Louisiana he would already be getting the recognition he deserves and will come his way as soon as scouts see him at his pro day. A little light to be playing at OLB in the 3-4 but I’m actually looking at him as a ILB and when you read the report and watch the highlights I think you will see why.

Then I broke down his game at Arkansas State

He plays with everything you want from a linebacker. Good against the run, quick to recognise the pass. Fluid hips, short area quickness, good pursuit and excellent wrap up tackling ability. As you can see from the quote above, he has played a little bit of everywhere. He has an excellent first step and rarely gets fooled on a play. He has the football instincts and IQ that I believe a Vontaze Burfict is missing.

And finally the conclusion

In case you haven’t already guessed it, I think this guy is going to be a complete steal in this draft. I have seen him being projected as low as the 6th round in this draft. However after his pro day and workouts for scouts and after more film breakdown is watched. I think he’ll go in the 3rd round. That’s a pretty bold prediction but I really like this guys game.

A few months later the Jets took him in the 3rd round and I was thrilled.

He turned into everything I’d hoped for and more and when the Jets let him go after the 2015 season I was pretty devastated. He briefly returned in 2017 but found a real home in New Orleans in 2018. Since that day he’s been named to five All-Pro teams, 2 Pro Bowls and has widely been regarded as one of the best linebackers in football.

At 37 his best days are behind him, but what he’s lost in athleticism he’s made up for in football intelligence and leadership. He’s also played in at least 900 snaps for 9 straight years and availability is a huge skill set.

Of the 67 linebackers who played at least 500 snaps last season, PFF rated Davis as the 4th best linebacker in football, and he’s still elite against the run. Glenn wanted leadership in the locker room and on the field, and he’s got that in Davis.

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Jets sign Joseph Ossai 🐯