Sources: Jets pass rusher Will McDonald IV requests trade - ESPN

New 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