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The New York Jets have hit some turbulence early this season, and they may need to let go of some precious cargo to cut their losses and prepare to take flight in the future.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the 0-7 Jets are set to be one of this year’s biggest “sellers.” Gang Green is in no position to contend for the playoffs – let alone a Super Bowl – in 2025, so New York is likely to trade away some of its veterans to recoup value in the form of future draft capital.
Among the top potential trade targets, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, are running back Breece Hall, linebacker Quincy Williams, edge rushers Jermaine Johnson II and Will McDonald IV, cornerback Michael Carter II and wide receiver Allen Lazard.
Schultz wrote that the new regime in New York – general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn – might be willing to trade away players formerly considered “foundational” if it means better chances to build a new core of young players.
Here are perfect landing spots for each of the Jets’ trade targets Schultz mentioned:
Jets trade rumors: Landing spots for each top targetRB Breece Hall: Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers lead running back Omarion Hampton can’t return until Week 10 at the earliest after Los Angeles placed him on injured reserve with an ankle injury. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Hampton is expected to miss more time than that given the severity of the injury – perhaps in Week 13, after the Chargers’ Week 12 bye?
If that’s the case, Los Angeles will need reinforcements in the backfield. Kimani Vidal had an excellent performance against a weak Dolphins run defense in Week 6 but came back to earth in Week 7. Hassan Haskins has only rushed 12 times all season.
Hall is off to a strong start in 2025, on pace for his first 1,000-yard season despite playing in a one-dimensional Jets offense that has struggled to get the passing game going. He’d be a nice fit in the Chargers’ backfield to fill in for Hampton, especially since he’s set to hit free agency after this season.
WR Allen Lazard: Pittsburgh Steelers
Lazard has been all but a non-factor in New York’s passing offense in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. He’s started once in five games and recorded just nine targets, six catches and 40 yards. He does have a touchdown though, something only one other Jets wide receiver can say.
Regardless, a move to Pittsburgh to return to a Rodgers-led offense seems like the perfect solution for Lazard, who tallied over 500 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons he played catching passes from the veteran.
The Steelers need help at wide receiver, too. There’s only one wide receiver not named DK Metcalf with more than 20 targets in Pittsburgh. Given that the Steelers are atop the AFC North at 4-2, adding more weapons for their veteran quarterback is a right step forward in the “win now” mode the team declared when it signed Rodgers this offseason.
Edge Jermaine Johnson II: Jacksonville Jaguars
The strong play of Jacksonville’s linebackers and cornerbacks this season has covered up one of the team’s biggest issues on defense: its failure to generate sacks. No team in the NFL has gotten to opposing quarterbacks fewer times than the Jaguars – a team with just eight sacks in seven games.
Jacksonville’s current sacks leader is defensive tackle Arik Armstead (3.5), with Travon Walker (2) behind him. Even though Josh Hines-Allen has generally been playing well – his 33 pressures are tied for sixth among NFL edge rushers – he only has 0.5 sacks to show for it. No other player has 30 or more pressures and fewer than two sacks.
Johnson would add a pass-rusher to the Jaguars’ front seven rotation, bringing his Pro Bowl potential two years removed from a 7.5-sack season. He’s also graded out well in run defense, per PFF, something the Jaguars could use a little extra help with on the outside. They’re currently ranked 30th in the NFL in run-stop win rate, per ESPN, despite ranking third in the NFL in opponent rush success rate allowed.
Edge Will McDonald IV: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are dealing with so many injuries to their edge rushers – Nolan Smith, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Azeez Ojulari – and just saw Za’Darius Smith retire after six weeks. They’ve even turned to formerly retired 37-year-old Brandon Graham to get some help on the outside of their defensive line.
Their 11 sacks as a team are near the bottom of the league, and things are not looking better given the rash of injuries (and retirements) (and un-retirements of older players). Philadelphia is also 26th in the NFL in run-stop win rate, according to ESPN’s metrics.
McDonald is a nice fit for a few reasons: he’s already got two sacks this season, he’s blocked a field goal (hello, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter), he’s a top-five run-stopping edge rusher and he’s under contract for at least one more year with a fifth-year option on the table for 2027.
LB Quincy Williams: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers lost star linebacker Fred Warner for the season with a dislocated and broken ankle. Second-year Tatum Bethune has held his own so far after being thrust into the starting role, but the 49ers could always use more depth.
Once he returns from a shoulder injury, Williams would provide San Francisco with an extra veteran presence in the middle of its defense in Warner’s absence. Though he doesn’t have the four-time All-Pro résumé Warner does, Williams was a first-team All-Pro in 2023. And if the 49ers still prefer to have Bethune develop in the middle linebacker spot, Williams could bolster either of the other inside linebacker spots, currently occupied by Dee Winters and Luke Gifford.
CB Michael Carter II: Washington Commanders
The Commanders are a bottom-10 team in the league in average dropback EPA allowed so far this season (0.146). A large part of that has been the struggles of Washington’s cornerbacks, particularly veteran Marshon Lattimore. Rookie Trey Amos has been solid on the outside opposite Lattimore, but Mike Sainristil has struggled a bit with his return to the slot.
Sainristil, a second-year player, began his career playing in the slot for Washington before the Commanders kicked him outside to address issues in the secondary after Week 4 in 2024. With Lattimore sticking around and Amos joining up as a second-round pick in 2025, Sainristil moved back inside this year, where he’s had some ups and downs so far.
The Commanders, now below .500 after a Week 7 loss to the Cowboys, can’t keep things the way they are in the secondary. Carter is a slot-only cornerback that can take on that nickel role for Washington and let Sainristil kick back outside. That would allow the second-year player to return to a spot where he performed better over the back half of last season. Meanwhile, the Commanders could avoid trotting out Lattimore to keep getting burned on the outside. Amos could start in the other outside spot, opposite Sainristil, and continue developing as an outside corner.