{"id":293590,"date":"2026-07-23T17:43:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=293590"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:43:03","slug":"jets-rumors-will-mcdonald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/23\/jets-rumors-will-mcdonald\/","title":{"rendered":"Jets Rumors: $17M Star Dangled in Training Camp Trade Prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"

While there are several top NFL storylines this training camp to watch, the latest New York Jets rumors could see the team moving on from edge-rusher Will McDonald before Week 1. As the Jets get prepared for camp next week, ESPN’s Rich Cimini<\/a> wrote that the team should trade him while he still has value. McDonald, a former first-round pick, received a fifth-year option this offseason despite coming off a season-ending injury. Last year, the pass-rusher might’ve been unable to stay healthy, but he led the Jets with eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss through 15 games.<\/p>\n

“The player with the most trade value is edge rusher Will McDonald IV, and he could spark some interest from teams, as he did before last season’s trade deadline,” Cimini said.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to see why he could have plenty of interest. After trading Quinnen Williams<\/a> last midseason, the Jets could do the same with the former first-rounder in 2026. Garrett Wilson has also been rumored to be moved, so with all of these stars involved, the team should probably consider all their options.<\/p>\n

\"Jets
Main Photo: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jets Rumors: $17M Star Dangled in Training Camp Trade Prediction<\/h2>\n

New York Still Rebuilding<\/h3>\n

Despite bringing back QB Geno Smith, the Jets are nowhere near being a contender. The team still has Aaron Glenn<\/a> at the helm two years after firing Robert Saleh, but hasn’t produced any winning seasons. If things aren’t going right during the 2026 campaign, what’s the point of holding on to a player that has a ton of value? New York will likely retain McDonald, but could change their mind during the season.<\/p>\n

You can say the same thing about Wilson. RB Breece Hall<\/a> is locked in for years, but that’s also something to monitor in the next few years. With this, let’s explore a few contenders who could be interested in the edge rusher before the postseason.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

3. San Francisco 49ers<\/h3>\n

The San Francisco 49ers have been actively involved in rumored talks in trading for a pass-rusher this offseason. After failing to get Maxx Crosby<\/a> and Trey Hendrickson, the team might have one last chance during the season. Last year, the 49ers lost Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams. Although they traded for Osa Odighizuwa<\/a> to streamline their defensive line, there’s still work to be done in the edge rush.<\/p>\n

They’ve tried reaching out to Joey Bosa, but he ultimately turned it down. McDonald would be joining a talented team led by Kyle Shanahan and could finally win his first Super Bowl in his young career.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

2. Baltimore Ravens<\/h3>\n

It’s been long overdue for the Baltimore Ravens to find their next Ray Lewis. While many can argue that they see that in Lewis in Roquan Smith, he needs more help, especially if the team wants this defense elevated. Despite drafting Zion Young<\/a>, the team is in need of an explosive playmaker who can take them to the AFC Championship. If Tavius Robinson and Teddye Buchanan can’t live up to the moment with Dre’Mont Jones leaving for New England, the Ravens should trade for a pass-rusher during the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n

McDonald, Trey Hendrickson<\/a> and Smith could be something special that no one has seen in several years, which doesn’t sound unrealistic since Jesse Minter is now the head coach of this organization. A former defensive coordinator who wants to build a scary defense can pull this off.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

1. Los Angeles Chargers<\/h3>\n

Khalil Mack is back for another season, but don’t be shocked if this is his last season. Jim Harbaugh’s refusal to improve the defense despite losing Jesse Minter is surprising. Tuli Tuipulotu is due for a huge deal<\/a>, so the Chargers should lock in on a contract while trading for McDonald if things fall apart midseason of the 2026 campaign. This defense has several pass-rushers, but none of them can top the level that the Jets edge-rusher could bring.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explosive New York Jets rumors are intensifying right before NFL Training Camp kicks off next week, which could see $17M star move on. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":293595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<\/smartframe-embed>","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,10,18,6,6431,31],"tags":[7723,7642,358,32193,7429,5855,7330,246,5812,34873,4445,7638,7325,2573,10002],"class_list":["post-293590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-ravens","category-chargers","category-jets","category-nfl-teams","category-49ers","tag-baltimore-ravens-news","tag-chargers-featured","tag-khalil-mack","tag-lastest-nfl-news","tag-los-angeles-chargers-news","tag-maxx-crosby","tag-new-york-jets-news","tag-nfl-news","tag-nfl-rumors","tag-nfl-trade-rumors","tag-nick-bosa","tag-ravens-featured","tag-san-francisco-49ers-news","tag-trey-hendrickson","tag-will-mcdonald-iv"],"modified_by":"Anthony Palacios","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293590"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293613,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293590\/revisions\/293613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}