Ex-Vikings GM played notable role in recent Jets front office addition

The Super Bowl hasn’t been played yet but many teams are already deep into filling vacancies in their coaching staff and front office. Some of the names involved in the interviews are hirings should be very familiar to fans of the Minnesota Vikings.

It is always interesting to see individuals associated with the Vikings getting other opportunities in the league. One team in particular is doing a huge overhaul of their structure, making big changes to their front office and coaching staff

Expectations were high for the New York Jets entering the 2024 NFL season. The team boasted a roster with several impact players but were only able to manage five wins over the course of 17 games.

Ex-Vikings GM played notable role in recent Jets front office addition

Finding the right person to be a team’s general manager is essential. The Minnesota Vikings parted ways with Rick Spielman after the 2021 NFL season and hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to take his place in the front office.

Spielman’s influence didn’t end when he exited the Vikings. He took a role with the 33rd Team, an organization that offers unique analysis from experts that includes former NFL players, coaches, and executives.

ESPN NFL Nation’s Rich Cimini shared on X that the New York Jets looked to the former Minnesota Vikings general manager to get some information about Darren Mougey before hiring him to be their next general manager.

Apparently, Spielman’s relationship with his former assistant in Minnesota helped him to have information about Mougey which led to his hire. His time with George Paton on the Vikings staff forced them to be close and Paton then became the general manager for the Denver Broncos.

Mougey was the assistant general manager of the Broncos, working under Paton. He worked his way up to that position by starting as a scout and becoming the director of player personnel before being Paton’s assistant.

Turning the New York Jets around will be a big task for Darren Mougey. However, whatever Rick Spielman learned about him from George Paton likely helped persuade the team to move forward with the former Broncos assistant GM.

Seeing the influence the Minnesota Vikings and former Vikings have on other teams is eye-opening. Even though Rick Spielman no longer has control over what happens with the purple and gold, it’s interesting to see that he still has some pull around the league.