Jets first round pick Will McDonald signs rookie contract, will be in training camp on time

The Jets have signed first round pick Will McDonald, meaning the defensive end will report to training camp on time. Connor Hughes broke the story.

There wasn’t much talk of acrimony in contract negotiations even though McDonald remained unsigned until the eve of training camp. The Jets have dealt with three recent first round holdouts. Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson both had brief holdouts their rookie years over offset language, while Quinnen Williams had his own brief rookie holdout over the timing of bonus payments.

Since the current rookie wage scale came into effect with the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, there hasn’t been a whole lot to negotiate in these deals. Yes, holdouts do happen over aforementioned issues as minor as offsets and bonus schedules, but they generally do not last very long.

McDonald can now get to work trying to carve out a role in the Jets defensive line rotation.