Gang Green Nation
Throughout the 2025 NFL season, SB Nation’s Doug Farrar will write about the game’s Secret Superstars — those players whose performances might slip under the radar for whatever reasons. In this installment, we focus on New York Jets pass-rusher Will McDonald IV, who had the game of his life after the franchise traded away their two best defensive players. McDonald’s word of the week was “relentless,” and that’s exactly what he was.
It’s never easy to be part of a team that has clearly punted the present for a better future. Though the New York Jets really didn’t have a choice but to pursue that necessary evil. The trades of Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, and Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys, said to the world that the Jets were not happy with their current structure, and the massive influx of draft picks they got in return does set general manager Darren Mougey up very well to re-fortify. Two first-round picks in 2026 and three first-round picks in 2027? That’s a pretty nice haul.
That still left the remaining Jets wondering what would happen in the rest of a lame-duck season in which their 1-7 record didn’t provide a ton of encouragement. It was good to see so many players step up in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Cleveland Browns, especially players on the defensive side of the ball that had just been ransacked with those trades. Linebacker Quincy Williams, who could have gone in the tank after his brother was traded and he was benched, responded to all that with his best game of the season. Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs flashed with six quarterback disruptions in just 16 pass-rushing snaps. Cornerback Azareye’h Thomas and safety Tony Adams had good coverage reps.
But the guy who made the biggest “we’re still here” statement of all was edge-rusher Will McDonald IV, with his four sacks and seven total pressures. McDonald, who was one of my favorite players in his draft class — I was just hoping that his NFL team would put him in the right place as he wasn’t at Iowa State — was selected 15th overall in the 2023 draft. While he’s had his moments through his career, there’s been nothing like the post-purge explosion he had against Browns blockers who had no idea what to do with him.
Those blockers had no idea what to do with McDonald because McDonald threw just about every possible technique at them, at very high levels.
McDonald tied John Abraham (2001) and Mark Gastineau (1983 and 1984) to become the third Jets defender with four sacks in a game.
“He’s very relentless, and he just actually just said that to the players in there, because he had said something to me during the week,“ head coach Aaron Glenn said postgame of McDonald’s efforts. ”Because I asked him where was he at, and I have a lot of belief in that player, and for him to come out and do exactly what...
