Now here’s an idea for the New York Jets to consider.
Scott Mason of “Play Like A Jet” floated this trade idea out on X, “Will McDonald for MHJ……who says no?”
The driving engine of this potential deal is simple: one disappointing first-round pick for another. Perhaps a fresh start for both players could unlock their true potential.
McDonald, 27, has had pockets of production throughout his career, but he also has had long stretches of being invisible. This season early on is a perfect microcosm. In Week 1, McDonald got an impressive sack against the Tennessee Titans. Over the last two games, he has only one total tackle.
Through the first 3.5 years of his career, McDonald has collected 22.5 sacks and 49 quarterback hits. So clearly, somewhere inside him are flashes of a dominant pass rusher. Maybe the Cardinals can channel it?
On the other side of the coin, it has been a real struggle for Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison, 24, has started all three games to date this season. He has been targeted nine times, catching four passes for 73 receiving yards. He is in his third season in the pros, and there have been flashes, but not consistency.
In his NFL career to date, Harrison Jr has been targeted 198 times, catching 107 balls for 1,566 receiving yards and scoring 12 touchdowns.
Harrison Jr is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr.
Getting Into the Contracts
The Jets picked up McDonald’s fifth-year option. That means he is under contract for the rest of the 2026 season and through the 2027 season.
The Cardinals, or whoever controls his rights next May, must decide on Harrison’s fifth-year team option on his contract. If the controlling team accepts it, Harrison will be under contract through the 2028 season. However, if his option is declined, Harrison would be a free agent in 2028.
According to Over The Cap, Harrison’s projected fifth-year option price would be $18.95 million. For context, that would place him No. 28 among the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, per OTC.
Insiders Talk Harrison Trade Possibility
ESPN Insider Dan Graziano wrote a column giving an early preview of the NFL trade deadline. In that story, he listed which players could be moved; the first name on his list was Harrison.
“Harrison, the fourth pick of the 2024 draft, is tied for fifth on his own team in targets behind tight end Trey McBride, wide receivers Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love. He has the same number of targets (nine) as Tyler Allgeier, the team’s No. 2 running back. Harrison has caught four passes for 73 yards in three games (after posting a 41-608-4 line in 2025),” Graziano wrote.
“The perception of Harrison from people around the league is that he isn’t a fit in an Arizona offense that prioritizes McBride as its top target, and that has led some teams to think he might be available. For their part, the Cardinals have given no indication that they are eager or even interested in trading Harrison. But if he’s still an afterthought in the offense a month from now, there are plenty of teams that would be interested in taking a shot on his talent and making him a bigger part of their offense,” Graziano added.
ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler said in his Week 4 buzz column that Harrison is a name teams are keeping an eye on.
“Teams are continuing to watch the Marvin Harrison Jr. situation closely, wondering if he would become available, as Dan pointed out last week. He would have a market, though not for a high pick (possibly a quality Day 3 pick, as one team forecasted). Harrison, the former No. 4 overall pick who has struggled in Arizona, showed a slight uptick last week vs. San Francisco with three catches for 43 yards on five targets. But tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson are clearly the Cardinals’ primary options,” Fowler wrote.
“Harrison is a player to monitor closer to the deadline. Teams are still trying to assess what has happened with someone who seemed like a slam dunk out of Ohio State,” Fowler explained. “I don’t think one scout expected this. I didn’t see all the drops and lack of competing [in college],’ one team evaluator pointed out to Fowler. ‘Very weird. Probably needs a fresh start. Looks too big for him right now.”
Jets Should Do It
McDonald is destined to meet the same fate as Jermaine Johnson. The Jets picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option and then later traded him. It seems like the same thing is going to happen to McDonald.
To slightly adjust the late Dennis Green’s famous rant, he isn’t who we thought he was. McDonald had a chance to be a dynamic pass rush specialist, but something isn’t working.
The Jets are depleted in the WR room. Perhaps reuniting Harrison with a former Ohio State brother, Garrett Wilson, will help him get back to the good old days. The juice is worth the squeeze if you’re the Jets. Whether it’s for McDonald or a high day three pick, the potential reward far outweighs the risk.
Jets Trade Pitch Flips Pass Rusher for Son of Hall of Famer