Former Iowa State Star Sends Massive Warning to Aaron Rodgers

Former Iowa State Cyclone Will McDonald IV is coming off a 10.5-sack season in Year 2 with eyes set on continuing to blossom into one of the NFL’s top young pass rushers.

One way for any edge rusher to get on the map is to bring down star quarterbacks with regularity. One option was off the table for McDonald in 2024, since Aaron Rodgers was on his team in New York. But his former QB is on the schedule in 2025, giving McDonald an early target this season.

He told reporters Sunday how he has long waited to sack the quarterback he watched while growing up in Milwaukee.

"I always wanted to sack [Aaron Rodgers], from a little kid," McDonald said, via ESPN. He did walk back the statement about his interest as a child, since, he said, he wasn’t interested in playing football then. "I did watch him, though. I watched him a lot."

Will McDonald Gets His Chance to Sack Aaron Rodgers Soon

McDonald and the Jets will host Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. If he can get Rodgers down, he’d be the biggest name on his sack list yet. So far, the leading name there would be Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

For all of the changes that have come in Pittsburgh this offseason, the franchise didn’t do much to change its offensive line. Left tackle Broderick Jones is swapping sides after spending the first three years of his career primarily on the right side. From center to right tackle, all three players are in just their second season, with right tackle Troy Fautanu getting his first real taste after missing most of his rookie season due to injuries.

That paints a promising picture for McDonald to get in the backfield often in the season opener, no matter which side he attacks.

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Last season’s 10.5 sack mark tied his best performances back in Ames. McDonald logged 10.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021, the only Cyclone to ever post double digit sacks in consecutive seasons. He finished as the program’s all-time sack leader, with 34, and became the highest-drafted Cyclone in 50 years.

McDonald is already well on his way to being a pass-rushing force in the NFL, and a strong start against his old quarterback will certainly let the rest of the league know that he isn’t wasting any time in climbing the ranks.

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