Jets' Will McDonald IV reportedly wants to be moved before NFL trade deadline

Before the New York Jets suffered a 35-12 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs that dropped the Jets to 2-7 on Sunday, it was reported that New York could "listen" to offers for edge-rusher Will McDonald IV before the NFL trade deadline arrives at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. 

It sounds like McDonald wants the Jets to do more than just hold trade talks with interested teams.

Jets "have no plans" to trade Will McDonald IV?

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, sources revealed that McDonald has informed the Jets "that he wants to be traded." 

"McDonald has played sparingly this season and is extremely frustrated with his usage," Rapoport said. "The former first-rounder wants more opportunities and the team is aware. Teams have called NYJ interested in McDonald, yet the Jets have not engaged in trade talks. And they have no plans to."

McDonald is signed through 2027 on a $14.475M fifth-year option. Over the Jets' first nine games of the season, he tallied three sacks. To compare, the 2023 first-round draft pick recorded a total of 18.5 sacks over 32 contests from the start of the 2024 campaign through the end of the 2025 season. 

Which teams could cause Jets to change their minds about trading Will McDonald IV?

According to NFL reporter Connor Hughes of SNY, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was "specifically interested" in possibly acquiring McDonald last year. Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions are among the teams that have been linked with pass-rushers.

That said, it's assumed that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is in serious jeopardy of eventually losing his job after his overall record fell to 5-21 on Sunday. Hughes is among those who suggested that certain Jets players may have been "checking out" and weren't "running to or through the ball" in the loss to the Chiefs. Nevertheless, it seemed as of Monday morning that team owner Woody Johnson isn't in a rush to fire Glenn. 

On paper, the Jets should want to acquire a future draft asset or two for players who aren't considered to have a long-term future with the organization. However, it sounds like the Jets aren't ready to part ways with McDonald this fall.