The Jets have picked up the fifth-year option on former first-round pick Will McDonald IV's rookie contract.
McDonald (6-4, 245) led the team last season with 8 sacks while becoming just the fifth Jet since 1982 – when sacks became an official NFL statistic – to register at least 8 sacks in back-to-back seasons. One of 12 players to hold an active streak of consecutive 8-plus sack campaigns, McDonald is also one of only 15 players to record back-to-back 8-plus sack seasons within their first three years in the league. He recorded a career-high 4 sacks and 9 pressures in a Week 10 win over the Browns. Over the past two years, McDonald is one of eight players who have totaled five multi-sack performances.
Against Tampa in Week 3, McDonald became the first player in franchise history to block a field goal and return it for a touchdown. The block of a 43-yard field goal attempt and subsequent 50-yard return for a score late in the fourth quarter was one of the top plays in the NFL last season.
A first-round pick (No. 15 overall) of the Jets in 2023, the Iowa State product has appeared in 47 games (29 starts) and amassed 21.5 sacks, 46 TFL and 3 FF.
