There are still 12 days until the 2026 NFL trade deadline. Yet, three multi-time All-Pros have already been traded in the last three days.
Quenton Nelson (Colts to Seahawks), DeForest Buckner (Colts to 49ers), and Jeffery Simmons (Titans to Bears) have each made their way from the AFC South to the NFC. The Colts and Titans have begun re-tooling, while three of the NFC’s top contenders have pushed their chips to the middle of the table.
The Jets were the stars of the 2025 trade deadline, making national headlines for their back-to-back trades of All-Pro defenders Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. The deals netted a combined three-first round picks, one second-round pick, and Year 2 second-round choice Adonai Mitchell, garnering widespread praise at the time. A year later, both of those deals are aging wonderfully for New York.
New York is unlikely to be involved in deals of a similar magnitude in 2026, but as the trade market heats up, they would be remiss not to dip their toes into water, particularly as sellers.
With contenders around the league looking to make all-out pursuits for a Super Bowl window that appears to be anybody’s for the taking, here are three players the Jets could sell off while the market is hot.
EDGE Will McDonald
A first-round pick of the Jets’ previous regime, Will McDonald appears to be badly miscast under Aaron Glenn.
While the Jets trusted McDonald to play a featured role in Glenn’s debut season, McDonald’s pass-rush production took a significant dip compared to his 2024 breakout season in Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s attacking 4-3 defense. In Year 2 under Glenn, McDonald has turned invisible, with his production and snaps both dipping dramatically.
McDonald ranks fourth among the Jets’ edge rushers with an average snap percentage of 46%, a 20% drop from last season (66%) and his lowest since his rookie year. When on the field, McDonald has been unproductive as a pass rusher, posting just two sacks and four quarterback hits in seven games.
In Glenn’s read-and-react, 3-4 base defense, McDonald looks like a square peg in a round hole. He does not have the size, power, or instincts to handle the run-stopping responsibilities on his plate, nor does he have the coverage skills to handle the career-high 3.3 coverage snaps per game that he is being asked to play.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s pass rushing has suffered because he is not getting a chance to pin his ears back and rush at full throttle, which is his strength. Saleh’s scheme was designed to highlight players who excel at that style of football, which is why McDonald showed off his potential with 10.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and 61 total pressures in 2024. In a read-and-react scheme, McDonald is ineffective.
A team with a defensive scheme similar to Saleh’s could be eager to try and unlock the best version of McDonald. The Jets, meanwhile, could fetch draft compensation for a player who isn’t a fit for them and is not playing up to the $14.5 million cap hit that he will have in 2027 on his fifth-year option.
Yes, Glenn is coaching for his job and cares more about winning games now than the Jets’ 2027 cap situation, but McDonald is currently a liability. Glenn may view trading McDonald as an addition by subtraction, although the Jets’ rash of injuries on the edge could complicate matters.
It is far from a lock, but don’t be surprised if McDonald finds a new home soon. Scheme fits and contract situations are often among the top reasons why players are dealt, and McDonald carries red flags in both areas.
CB Nahshon Wright
After nabbing five interceptions and earning a Pro Bowl appearance for the playoff-bound Chicago Bears in 2025, sixth-year cornerback Nahshon Wright has spent the 2026 season warming up the Jets’ bench.
It isn’t entirely surprising, as Wright’s Pro Bowl pedigree is a misleading representation of his actual production in 2025. His five interceptions stole the headlines, but he was a sieve in coverage, yielding 725 yards and seven touchdowns while committing seven penalties.
The NFL collectively stated its opinion on Wright when he only netted a one-year, $3.5 million deal on the open market. That essentially means he is viewed as a high-level backup cornerback.
However, Wright hasn’t been able to get on the field due to the Jets’ health at the outside cornerback spots. Starters Azareye’h Thomas and Brandon Stephens have combined to miss only 10 snaps, so the Jets have not had a reason to use Wright. He can’t play in the slot and doesn’t offer much on special teams, so until a starting outside corner has to sit due to injury, he is going to stand around on the sidelines.
Wright expressed his frustration with the lack of playing time while speaking to the media this week.
The Jets don’t necessarily have a reason to shop Wright. It’s not as if he isn’t a fit; he is a backup, and they have not had a reason to use him since the starters have stayed healthy.
However, the Jets are a 2-5 team, and Wright is a backup on an expiring contract who has already publicly expressed frustration with his role. If a team comes calling with an offer that carries enough long-term value to outweigh 10 games of Wright’s backup duties for a 2-5 squad going nowhere fast, the Jets should take the deal.
S Andre Cisco
Similar to Wright, Andre Cisco is a veteran defensive back with starting experience who is currently serving a backup role and will be a free agent after the season. That’s the type of player who could both attract interest from a contender and be viewed as expendable by a 2-5 team.
Cisco has started 58 of his 78 NFL games for the Jaguars and Jets. This season, he has played in all seven games as a backup behind New York’s starting safety duo of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton. From Weeks 2-4, Cisco started three games in place of an injured Fitzpatrick.
Cisco struggled as a starter for the Jets in 2025, which caused his market price to drop to one year and $2.5 million in 2026 after he initially joined the team on a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Over his three-start run in 2026, though, Cisco performed decently in Fitzpatrick’s free safety role, allowing just 32 yards and no touchdowns across six targets and 108 snaps in coverage. He committed no penalties, but missed two tackles.
With 58 starts and eight interceptions to his name, while still being just 26 years old, Cisco could be both a short and long-term solution for contending teams who immediately need a serviceable player to plug a hole at safety. He won’t single-handedly change a defense, but there may be teams who are dealing with a lot worse than Cisco at the position.
It isn’t a requirement to have superstar safeties to win a championship, but if you have liabilities at safety, it’s one of the positions that can lose you a game the fastest. It’s important to have at least decent players at the position, so if a team in the Super Bowl hunt sees Cisco as that caliber of player, they could be enticed to throw something New York’s way to add him to their squad for the stretch run.
As for the Jets, Belton and Fitzpatrick are locked-in as the starters this season, while the team has some young defensive backs behind Cisco who could be worth evaluating over the next 10 games, namely 2025 fourth-round pick Malachi Moore and preseason standout Jordan Clark. They are also waiting for the return of seventh-round rookie VJ Payne, who started the season on injured reserve with a bone bruise.
For these reasons, trading Cisco’s expiring contract for a future draft pick would make sense.
