The New York Jets' lengthy searches are over, and they're pairing a first-time general manager with a first-time head coach to try to turn things around.

Denver Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey agreed to terms Saturday with the Jets to become their GM.

The 39-year-old Mougey has worked as Broncos general manager George Paton's top assistant for the past three seasons. Mougey replaces the fired Joe Douglas in New York and joins new Jets coach Aaron Glenn as the new leaders of the franchise.

“Darren is a trusted NFL executive who has experience working with an impressive collection of football leaders,” Jets owner and chairman Woody Johnson said in a statement issued by the team. “He is a proven talent evaluator who impressed us with his vision for this team. His partnership with Coach Glenn will revitalize this organization."

The two will be formally introduced at a press conference Monday at the team’s facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.

Mougey, the NFL’s third-youngest GM behind Cleveland’s Andrew Berry and Chicago’s Ryan Poles, held several positions in Denver’s front office since joining the team as a scouting intern under John Elway in 2012.

“It is one of the great honors and privileges of my life to serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,” Mougey said in a statement. “I want to thank Mr. Johnson for this responsibility, one I do not take lightly. I could not be more excited to work alongside Coach Glenn to build a championship team that will make Jets fans proud.”

Mougey was Denver’s director of player personnel in 2021 before being promoted to assistant GM. The native of Scottsdale, Arizona, was once a backup quarterback behind current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell at San Diego State and later a wide receiver.

Mougey was part of a front office that helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl for the 2015 season and assisted Paton in constructing a roster that made it back to the playoffs this season under Sean Payton after an eight-year drought.

Denver also made one of the most lopsidedly bad trades in recent memory when it acquired quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022 for several draft picks, and Wilson was out after just two seasons.

Mougey, who beat out at least 14 other candidates for the job, was hired after a second interview with the Jets. Washington assistant GM Lance Newmark and Cincinnati executive Trey Brown also returned for follow-up interviews with New York, which ended up choosing Mougey to pair with Glenn.

“I am proud of the thorough search we undertook,” Johnson said, "and that it led us to the two best individuals to lead our football team going forward.”

The two will be tasked with trying to revamp a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons.

Mougey will take over a team coming off a disappointing 5-12 season. The major undertakings for him and Glenn will be trying to build a roster that returns the Jets to the playoffs and determining whether they will have quarterback Aaron Rodgers back next season — if he still wants to play — and possibly beyond.

The 41-year-old four-time MVP, who is the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of nonguaranteed money left on his contract. But he would be due a $35 million option bonus before the regular season begins and count $23.5 million against the salary cap.

If Rodgers is cut or retires, the Jets could absorb a $49 million dead-money charge next year unless they designate him a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years.

Mougey also will have to make a decision on wide receiver Davante Adams, who's scheduled to make $35.64 million in each of the next two years. The Jets could ask the 32-year-old receiver to redo his deal or he could be released in the next few months. Adams acknowledged after the season ended that what Rodgers does will “for sure” be a factor in his own decision, but added he “potentially” could be back even if the quarterback isn’t.

New York also has several key players scheduled to be free agents, including linebacker Jamien Sherwood, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Chuck Clark, tight end Tyler Conklin, right tackle Morgan Moses, edge rusher Haason Reddick and left tackle Tyron Smith.

Also, potential key parts of the Jets’ future, including cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, running back Breece Hall and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, are eligible for extensions.

The hiring of Mougey ends a lengthy search that began in November after owner Woody Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to assist the Jets. Tannenbaum and former Dolphins and Vikings GM Rick Spielman helped Johnson identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews.

Spielman likely was able to glean some information on Mougey from Paton, who worked closely with Spielman during stops together in Chicago, Miami and Minnesota.

In addition to Newmark and Brown, Mougey beat out a field of candidates that included Mike Borgonzi, Thomas Dimitroff, Ray Farmer, Brian Gaine, Mike Greenberg, Ryan Grigson, Alec Halaby, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Jon Robinson, Chris Spielman and Jon-Eric Sullivan. Borgonzi has since been hired as the Tennessee Titans’ GM. The New York Post also reported that Phil Savage, the Jets' interim GM, also was interviewed by the team.

Edwards scores 34, sets Timberwolves career 3-pointer record in 133-104 win over Denver

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points and became the Minnesota Timberwolves' career leader in 3-pointers in a 133-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets 133-104 on Saturday.

Edwards made 14 of 23 shots from the floor and scored 23 points in the second half as Minnesota pulled away after leading by 11 at halftime.

Julius Randle had 21 points, while Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their second straight.

Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 25 points. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 11 assists for Denver, which had won won four straight and eight of its last nine. Jokic grabbed just three rebounds, ending his streak of five straight triple-doubles.

Minnesota led from wire to wire, scoring a season-high 40 points in the first quarter when it shot 69.2% (18 for 26) from the field.

Takeaways

Nuggets: Denver had won six straight on the road and its 14-8 road record was the third-best in the Western Conference. Saturday's defeat began a five-game road swing.

Timberwolves: Minnesota made a season-high 53 field goals and its 55.8% shooting from the field was the team's second-best mark of the year.

Key moment

With the Timberwolves leading 91-77 midway through the third quarter, Edwards missed a 3-pointer from the wing, but Gobert came down with the rebound. Naz Reid then missed a short hook shot, but Gobert tipped the rebound to an open spot on the court and then ran it down. The ball eventually made it back to Edwards, who drained a 3 to give Minnesota its largest lead of the game at 17 points.

Key stat

Edwards' third 3-pointer was No. 976 of his career, passing Karl-Anthony Towns for the most career 3-pointers in Timberwolves history.

Up next

Both teams are back in action on Monday, with the Nuggets visiting Chicago and the Timberwolves hosting Atlanta.

Pastrnak stars as the Bruins beat the Avalanche 3-1 a day after the Rantanen trade

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists, and the Boston Bruins beat Colorado 3-1 on Saturday, a day after the Avalanche traded star winger Mikko Rantanen.

Pastrnak set up both of Morgan Geekie’s goals in the third period. He also had an empty-netter in the final seconds for his 24th goal of the season.

It was Boston's 10th win in its last 12 home games.

Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Avalanche in their third consecutive loss.

Colorado parted with Rantanen in a three-team deal on Friday, shipping him off to Carolina while acquiring forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Geekie tied it at 1 when he beat Scott Wedgewood on a one-timer 25 seconds into the third. He added his 15th goal at 5:44 off another nice pass by Pastrnak.

The Avs had jumped in front when Lehkonen beat Jeremy Swayman with a wrist shot from the right circle early in the second period.

Boston won the other meeting between the teams, 5-3 in Colorado in October.

Takeaways

Avalanche: Necas and Drury, who were in New York for a game against the Islanders on Saturday night, made their way to Boston and played.

Bruins: Swayman returned after he was unavailable for Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Ottawa because of an upper-body injury.

Key moment

After a listless opening two periods, the Bruins charged into the Colorado zone on a 3-on-2 break and Pastrnak found Geekie in the slot for the tying goal.

Key stat

Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon entered with an NHL-high 75 points (19 goals, 56 assists), but he was kept off the scoresheet.

Up next

The Avalanche have a quick turnaround, playing at the New York Rangers on Sunday. The Bruins are at Buffalo on Tuesday.

Avs GM MacFarland felt 'timing was right' to deal star forward Mikko Rantanen

BOSTON (AP) — Facing the prospect of Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, Colorado general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to trade the star forward and bolster the Avalanche's roster for the future.

“I think it was just a tough business decision here for us," MacFarland said before the Avalanche's 3-1 loss at Boston on Saturday. “I felt that the pieces we got made sense to strike now.”

Colorado parted with Rantanen in a three-team deal on Friday, shipping him off to Carolina while acquiring forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

“I think a lot of the guys are just shocked,” Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon said after the loss to the Bruins. “It's pretty crazy someone like that getting traded. ... He's (been) a big part of our team, our culture. He's been here from the dog days, in ‘16, ’17 right up until now. It's helped grow this organization up to a Stanley Cup winner and being a contender every season, a big reason why is because of him.”

Carolina also got forward Taylor Hall from Chicago in the trade.

Drafted 10th overall in 2015, the 28-year-old Rantanen, who scored an Avs-record 55 goals in 2022-23, was in line to become an unrestricted free agent after he and the organization couldn’t agree on a new deal entering this year.

“There are not many trades that are bigger in a year than Mikko Rantanen changing teams,'' Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. "We came into this year with not very much cap space, and we've worked very hard with our roster to build up what we could to have the opportunity to take advantage if something like this came along."

Rantanen had 25 goals and 39 assists at the time of the deal. He departs Colorado with 287 career goals in nine-plus seasons. He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Trading a superstar is never easy, and MacFarland certainly had some anxious moments.

“It hurts, right. He’s a home-grown talent. He’s a superstar person, he’s a superstar human being,” he said. “I think that’s sports, right. We’re going talk about it, people are going to talk about it. Your heart strings get tugged. That’s why we all do this.

“He’s that good of a hockey player. ... He had the UFA card and we felt this is what we had to do.”

Now Colorado continues with the tough task of trying to remain a Stanley Cup contender while planning for the future.

“You lose a superstar and we’re going to have to try and replace him in the aggregate — 50-goal scorers don’t grow on trees,” MacFarland said. “You have to usually draft and develop them. Mikko was a home run for us for many, many years.”

Next up for Rantanen — assuming Carolina keeps him through the March 7 NHL trade deadline — is helping the Hurricanes go for their first championship since 2006.

Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour, who was part of a midseason trade from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Hurricanes in January 2000, said he doesn't want to put too much on Rantanen and Hall right away.

"It’s a whirlwind when you get traded,'' said Brind'Amour, who served as Carolina's captain when it won the Stanley Cup in 2006. “Especially when you’ve been somewhere a long time.”

The acquisition of Hall — a 33-year-old forward who was the top overall pick by Edmonton in 2010 — was a key part of the deal for the Hurricanes, according to Tulsky. Hall has 275 goals in 878 career games. He won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP with New Jersey in 2017-18, when he had a career-high 93 points.

“Taylor is a huge piece too,'' Tulsky said. "One of the things we thought our team needed was an upgrade of skill and offensive punch. Marty (Necas) is one of the most skilled players in the league and he's going back. It's not easy to upgrade the skill level. But Mikko is an incredible offensive force and Taylor brings a lot of skill and some size and some speed. We think he's going to fit."

Rockies bring back retired outfielder Charlie Blackmon as special assistant to the general manager

DENVER (AP) — Retired outfielder Charlie Blackmon is taking on a new role with the Colorado Rockies — special assistant to the general manager.

Blackmon will assist GM Bill Schmidt in all facets of baseball operations, the team announced Saturday. The 38-year-old retired last season after 14 seasons with the Rockies, for whom he batted .293 with 1,805 hits and 227 homers.

A four-time All-Star, Blackmon ranks first in franchise history in triples (68), along with second in games played (1,624), doubles (334), runs scored (996) and extra-base hits (629).

Blackmon was taken by the Rockies in the second round of the 2008 amateur draft after playing at Georgia Tech. He won the 2017 NL batting crown with a .331 average. He also helped the team to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018.

“His leadership, deep understanding of the game and passion for this franchise make him the perfect fit to step into this new role,” Schmidt said. "We’re thrilled to have him bring his unique insight and experience back to the Rockies players and front office.”

The Rockies sent Blackmon off in style in his final day at Coors Field as a player in September. His wife, Ashley, and two young kids, Josie and Wyatt, joined him on the field for a pregame ceremony, where he was presented with a plaque. He also received a Toyota truck that had been perched on top of a sign in left field. His kids each threw a pitch to him.

Arizona takes control in 78-63 win over Colorado leaving Buffs winless in Tucson since 1965

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Anthony Dell'Orso scored 20 points with the help of six 3-pointers and reserve KJ Lewis scored 12 points and Arizona pulled away from Colorado for a 78-63 win on Saturday.

Caleb Love scored 10 points and Tobe Awaka grabbed 15 rebounds with seven coming on the offensive end for Arizona (13-6, 7-1 Big 12) who has won nine of its last 10 games.

The Wildcats shot 46.9% (30 for 64).

Julian Hammond III scored 19 points, Javon Ruffin scored 12 and Adrej Jakimovski 10 for Colorado (9-10, 0-8) who is still searching for its first win in the Big 12. Colorado has never beaten the Wildcats at the McKale Center and last won in Tucson 60 years ago in 1965.

Arizona led 33-31 at halftime and appeared poised to pull away with a 7-2 spurt to start the second half. Colorado responded with 7-0 run to knot it at 40 with an Elijah Malone jump shot with 14:43 remaining. But Dell’Orso responded with a 3 and Arizona gradually began to distance itself. Lewis' layup with 6:29 left put Arizona ahead 62-51 marking the first double-digit lead of the game by either team.

Colorado hosts Arizona State on Tuesday. Arizona host third-ranked Iowa State on Monday.

Nique Clifford scores 24 to lead Colorado State past Fresno State 69-64

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Nique Clifford scored 24 points to lead Colorado State to a 69-64 victory over Fresno State on Saturday night.

Clifford added eight rebounds and seven assists for the Rams (13-7, 7-2 Mountain West Conference). Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and six rebounds. Jalen Lake had 10 points.

Alex Crawford finished with 20 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs (5-15, 1-8). Zaon Collins had 17 points and two steals. Elijah Price finished with 13 points and six rebounds.

Clifford had 12 points in each half for Colorado State, which led 33-31 at the break.

Hawthorne scores 32, Northern Colorado beats Eastern Washington 67-62

CHENEY, Wash. (AP) — Isaiah Hawthorne put up 32 points as Northern Colorado beat Eastern Washington 67-62 on Saturday night.

Hawthorne also had seven rebounds for the Bears (15-6, 7-1 Big Sky Conference). Langston Reynolds scored 17 points while going 5 of 9 and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. Brock Wisne had seven points and finished 3 of 5 from the floor.

Nic McClain led the way for the Eagles (6-15, 2-6) with 16 points. Vice Zanki added 11 points for Eastern Washington. Sebastian Hartmann had nine points and seven rebounds.

Northern Colorado's next game is Saturday against Northern Arizona at home, and Eastern Washington visits Idaho State on Thursday.