Silly Will McDonald-Broderick Jones Jets storyline ends in funniest way possible

The New York Jets give fans enough material to mock them without fans needing to add even more fuel for laughter. That birthed the whole NFL Draft controversy between Broderick Jones and Will McDonald.

Many assumed Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots got one over on the Jets by trading down and allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to select Jones at No. 14 overall. In their invented reality. Pittsburgh took Jones over a Jets team foaming at the mouth to select him. McDonald would have been the pick regardless, and of the two, the Iowa State defensive end has been the better player.

The Steelers traded Jones to the Dallas Cowboys after he failed to make Mike McCarthy's first 53-man roster, all while McDonald appears to be a key part of the team's revamped pass rush. If the Patriots did all of that to humiliate the Jets, it seemed like they didn't do a great job of it.

Broderick Jones trade confirms New York Jets made better pick with Will McDonald

Jones has been incredibly inconsistent from the second the first proverbial starting pistol was fired in his Steelers career. The Jets have seen Jones' struggles firsthand, as McDonald and the rest of the defensive line ate him for breakfast when they played him in Week 1 of the 2025 season.

The writing was very clearly on the wall for Jones. On top of a neck injury that took even more wind out of his proverbial sails, the Steelers' decision to use first-round picks on offensive linemen like Troy Fautanu and Max Iheanachor while Jones was on his rookie deal shows that he was not viewed in high regard.

McDonald, meanwhile, has proven to be a player who will either be kept on a solid multi-year contract or get that money elsewhere from a team needing some pass rush upside.

New York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald is better than Broderick Jones

For all of his many faults, McDonald was a superior pick when compared to Jones. With 18.5 sacks over two seasons, McDonald has proven to be a reliable pass rusher who can use his speed around the edge to great effect, even if he isn't the franchise player New York thought they were getting.

The irony of it all is that neither the Steelers nor the Jets were winners in this media-constructed battle. Both Jones and McDonald were selected over the best young cornerback, linebacker, and wide receiver in the game, respectively: Christian Gonzalez, Jack Campbell, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

It seems as though the Jets lost less harshly than Pittsburgh, which is a win in Jets land, especially when the NFL Draft is concerned.

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