Right out the gate in the Jets' locker room on Wednesday, edge Will McDonald IV calmly and clearly responded to published reports that he had requested a trade leading up to the NFL's trade deadline late Tuesday afternoon.
"I just want to clear everything up," said McDonald, who is in his fourth season with the Green & White. "I just want to play here. I want to help the team win."
The Jets picked McDonald (6-4, 245) out of Iowa State with the 15th overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. In 2024, his sophomore season, he had 10.5 sacks, 24 QB hits, 3 PD, 2 forced fumbles and 28 total tackles (18 solo). He followed that in 2025 with 8 sacks and 10 TFL before ending the season on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in a Week 16 game against New Orleans. In each of those two seasons, he appeared in 66% of the snaps on defense. Through 9 games this season and 46% of the defensive snaps, McDonald has 3 sacks, 16 overall tackles, 7 QB hits and a forced fumble.
"I was very on point when I said, 'Listen, we're not trading Will,' " HC Aaron Glenn told reporters on Wednesday. "Will's a huge part of what we're doing. It's my job to make sure that I continue to put him in positions to help this team be successful. Obviously, there's some things he needs to improve on."
In late April, the Jets picked up McDonald's fifth-year option days after the team strengthened the D-Line by drafting edge David Bailey No. 2 overall. Earlier, the Green & White had signed Kingsley Engabare and Joseph Ossai (who is injured) in free agency.
Asked why he had requested a trade, McDonald said: "Because I wasn't playing. Every player wants to get on the field, it's not rocket science. Everybody wants to play. Everybody wants to help the team. I don't want to make it a big deal as much as the media is making it."
Glenn said that the day before last Sunday's game at Kansas City, he and McDonald talked for more than an hour.
"Those conversations have always been there with me and Will since training camp," Glenn said. "A lot of those conversations are not even about football because there's life. That's what we talked about Saturday. If I have a conversation with players, if it's not something outside of football, it's more or less on how we can get better and how we can improve, and that's from an individual aspect more than anything."
Glenn added: "His pass rush is second to none. It's my job to make sure I put him in position to play more because he's improving. And I've always said this -- that you earn the right to play and he's done that."
