After stumbling to a 3-14 finish last season, the New York Jets wasted no time hitting reset. GM Darren Mougey's aggressive overhaul has already turned heads, including his former college roommates and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell.

“I just think the plan that he’s had has been really well thought out. It’s one thing — a lot of teams put the time and the energy into having 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,” O’Connell said during a Zoom call ahead of the American Century Championship golf tournament, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

As a former Jets backup quarterback, O'Connell understands the franchise's expectations and was pleased to see Mougey begin reshaping the roster.

“He’s not afraid to make difficult decisions, and I think that’s because it’s in alignment with the process that he has. He’s attempting to execute a vision that he has for that organization,” said O’Connell per NY Post.

Speaking of changes, Mougey might have changed the outlook for this season after acquiring Geno Smith from the Raiders for a 2026 sixth-round pick. The Jets also landed Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins and swapped Jermaine Johnson to Tennessee in exchange for T'Vondre Sweat.

On top of that, the extensions of Breece Hall and Joe Tippmann clearly show that the team is focused on its long-term stability. As they progress through the season, they will look to improve their record.

As O'Connell's former roommate makes sweeping changes, he's ensuring the Vikings don't fall too far behind.

Kevin O'Connell speaks about the Vikings QB situation

The Vikings have cycled through eight starting quarterbacks in four seasons, yet O’Connell has guided them to a 43-25 record. With Kyler Murray potentially next, Minnesota has shown that a playoff contender doesn't need to revolve around one quarterback.

“What we’ve tried to do is put together a world where the quarterback — whoever is in the game for us — can prepare and simply do their job,” O’Connell said per the NY Post. “When you get quality play at that position — and what that looks like can look a lot different depending on guys’ skill set — it just leads to so many avenues to your team having a chance to win different types of games.”

With training camp looming, O’Connell kept his cards close to his chest. Spring workouts showed little separation between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, but Murray is still viewed as the frontrunner entering the quarterback battle.

That said, Minnesota kicks off its preseason campaign against the New York Giants on Aug. 15. Given that, what is your opinion about Kevin O'Connell’s recent statement?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi