playRich CiminiNov 9, 2026, 09:13 AM ETCloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.Multiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsNew York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald IV, frustrated by his usage, has requested a trade, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday.
But the Jets don’t plan to shop him around.McDonald, a 2023 first-round pick whose playing time has diminished, approached the coaches weeks ago about more opportunities, a source said. Nothing has materialized, so he informed the team he wants out.The trading deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.But Jets coach Aaron Glenn shut down the idea of a trade.”I just know we’re in the business of keeping good players, so Will’s going to be here,” Glenn said Monday morning on a video conference.McDonald was a holdover from the previous regime, which drafted him 15th overall. He recorded 10.5 sacks in 2024, but he never clicked with the current coaching staff, which arrived in 2025.Glenn was convinced he would have a huge impact on McDonald, suggesting in August 2025 that he wasn’t coached properly by the previous staff.McDonald started for Glenn in 2025, but the Jets switched to a 3-4 defense and added edge rushers David Bailey (No. 2 overall pick), Joseph Ossai and Kinglsey Enagbare last offseason, making McDonald a situational player.Undersized at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, McDonald has struggled against the run.In nine games, he has three sacks, one forced fumble and 13 tackles in 263 defensive snaps.
He was so frustrated by his lack of playing time that he asked for a role on special teams, a source said. He has played more than 30 snaps only once in the past five games.But Glenn said he had a long talk with McDonald the other day, calling it “a really good conversation.” It occurred before Sunday’s 35-12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, so it evidently did little to quell McDonald’s frustration. He played only 23 snaps on defense in the game.”He’s a good player and I still believe that,” Glenn said. “We’re going to continue to try to put him in a position to make plays for us.”McDonald drew interest at last year’s trade deadline — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly were a suitor — but the Jets kept him and eventually exercised his fifth-year option.As a result, McDonald is due to make a guaranteed $13.8 million in 2027, the final year of his contract.With the trade deadline approaching, the Jets won’t be nearly as active as last year, when they dealt defensive starts Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in two blockbuster moves that allowed them to have three first-round picks in the upcoming draft.Wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall have been bandied about in the rumor mill, but the Jets have no interest in trading them, sources said.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright, who has yet to play a defensive snap, told ESPN that he’s open to a trade and has shared that with the organization.”Never say never, but right now I know we’re going to stand pat,” Glenn said. “Listen, we’re in the business of keeping good players, and that’s how I see it. But never say never. You never know what’s going to happen.
Me and (GM Darren Mougey) continue to talk about these things and see how it goes.”
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