Jets might've missed a huge opportunity amid Jaguars trade interest in Will McDonald Iv image
The New York Jets have not made a significant trade before the 2026 NFL trade deadline yet. They sent Andre Cisco to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a sixth-round pick, which is a solid deal for a poor 2-7 Jets team.
While Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson have popped up in trade rumors, neither is likely to go. The same cannot be said for edge rusher Will McDonald IV. He's been mentioned in trade rumors, but the Jets have made it clear they want to keep the 27-year-old edge.
However, that might've been a big mistake, as the report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer on McDonald revealed the Jacksonville Jaguars made a "significant" offer for McDonald that the Jets maybe should've taken considering the moves the Jaguars made.
Jets might've missed chance to land haul from Jaguars for Will McDonald IV
"The trade request of Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV is interesting," Breer writes. "The Jaguars, before the flurry of action on Monday, had made a significant offer for him."
Unfortunately for the Jets, that significant trade offer might now be off the table. The reason why? The Jaguars made two massive moves on Monday.
They sent a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III, and then the Jaguars sent a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive tackle Jordan Davis.
Those were two massive moves for the Jaguars, and trades that could be seen as overpays. If the Jaguars were willing to spend so much on Bates and Davis, it would stand to reason that they would've offered a lot for McDonald.
MORE: Jaguars reportedly acquiring Falcons' Pro Bowl safety in major trade
While there's not been any confirmed reporting on what the Jaguars "significant" trade offer for McDonald was, if it was equal to or more than a third-round pick, this might've been a huge missed opportunity for the Jets.
McDonald requested a trade, which would indicate his time with the team might be coming to an end. Instead of trading him, the Jets have pushed the narrative that he's a key piece of their defense going forward.
However, with a chance to get a significant return from the Jaguars on the table, the Jets didn't take it based on the Jaguars' trades for Davis and Bates, and now such an offer might not be in play.
It's too soon to say the Jets made a massive mistake, but there's no denying that this was a missed opportunity to get a likely very strong haul for McDonald after the edge rusher requested a trade.
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