Will McDonald Trade Rumors: Are the Jets Really Ready to Move Their Best Pass Rusher?
The Jets keep telling everyone Will McDonald is not going anywhere. Some NFL insiders are not buying it.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini floated the idea this week that New York should consider trading McDonald while his value is still peaking. The 25-year-old edge rusher is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract with his fifth-year option already picked up. That gives the Jets team control through 2027 and makes him one of the most valuable trade assets in football.
General manager Darren Mougey has publicly said the team plans to keep him. But privately the calls keep coming.
The Case for Trading Him
The Jets are not close to being a Super Bowl team. Aaron Rodgers is gone. The front office is turning over the roster with an eye toward 2027 or 2028. McDonald is a top-15 pass rusher in the league and could return a package of picks and young players that accelerates the rebuild.
McDonald is on the books for around $10 million this year and a $14.48 million fifth-year option in 2027. Combined that is $24.48 million over two years for a productive edge rusher. That is a massive trade chip.
Contending teams desperate for pass-rush help would give up a first-round pick, a young roster piece, and maybe a Day 2 selection to get him. The Cowboys need edge help. The Steelers always need edge help. The Ravens could use another rusher. Multiple bidders means an inflated return.
The Case for Keeping Him
McDonald is 25. His prime is now. The Jets do not have another pass rusher on the roster who can replace his production. New York invested in Joseph Ossai in free agency and drafted a rookie edge in the first round, but neither one is McDonald.
Head coach Aaron Glenn is not rebuilding. He is trying to win right away. Trading your best defensive player mid-summer signals a full white-flag rebuild, and that hurts recruiting free agents in future years. The Jets need to look like a functioning organization, not a fire sale.
Ownership has also indicated it wants competitiveness now. Woody Johnson does not want another 4-13 season and a losing narrative dragging into 2027. Keeping McDonald signals the Jets still believe they can turn this around soon.
What Actually Happens
McDonald starts Week 1 in a Jets uniform. That is the expected outcome. But if the Jets fall out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, everything changes. A 3-6 team is going to look at any veteran with cap value and consider deals.
The likely scenario is a McDonald extension during the 2026 season, one that locks him in through 2030 or 2031 in the $28 million per year range. That is where the market is for elite edge rushers. Micah Parsons signed at that number. Nick Bosa reset it. McDonald could be next.
Or the Jets could get a monster offer at the deadline, blink, and start a real rebuild. That is not the plan today. But NFL front offices change plans quickly when losses pile up.
For now, the Jets say they are keeping their guy. The next 90 days will tell us if they mean it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
