Analyst Reveals Trade Value of Jets Biggest Stars Ahead of Season

The New York Jets have a core of young, talented football players.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explored what their trade value is in a column posted on Wednesday, July 30.

Thankfully, this is simply a hypothetical exercise ahead of the season. However, if the Jets hadn’t opened their wallets this offseason for some big money extensions, this could have been a massive storyline if things went sideways.

The Elite of the Elite Category

Barnwell separated the Jets players for this discussion into three tiers. The top tier is players who could command a first-round pick and change via trade.

“WR Garrett Wilson, CB Sauce Gardner. Wilson and Gardner would have been in the tier of two first-round picks before earning their new deals in mid-July. They’re still two of the most exciting young players in football, but they’re in a different financial bracket after signing extensions,” Barnwell explained.

Gardner became the highest-paid corner in the NFL with his new $30.1 million annual salary. Wilson is now ranked No. 5 in annual wide receiver salary at $32.5 million per year.

Barnwell said Gardner and Wilson could have each been worth two first-round picks apiece before getting paid this offseason. That is because they still had two years of relatively cheap rookie control. That two-year window would have been very valuable to another team.

To reiterate, Wilson and Gardner signing their record-breaking extensions slams the door on any potential trade conversations that could have sprung up this year.

The Next Tier Down of Jets Players

How many Jets players would be worth a first-round pick straight up?

Barnwell said the answer is four.

Pass rusher Will McDonald IV, coming off a career-high 10.5 sacks, cracked this list.

Last season, he was listed at 236 pounds. This season, McDonald is listed on the Jets’ official roster sheet at 245 pounds. Jets senior reporter Eric Allen recently said that he is actually at 250 pounds.

Hilarious lol

‘[Will McDonald] is all muscled up, he’s at 250 [pounds], he had 10.5 sacks last year. I don’t want to say anything crazy but Will McDonald he looks like a guy who can get 15+ sacks,’ @eallenjets said. 🤣

‘Nothing crazy,’ @cghendy said. 😂

‘According to AG [Aaron… pic.twitter.com/J8lHuXIdfV

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) July 29, 2025

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“He might be limited to a pass-rushing role in the same way Bryce Huff was during his time in New York. There are a lot of teams that would love to have that sort of production from a player who still has two years of rookie contract runway and a fifth-year option remaining,” Barnwell said.

The other Jets veteran that was included in this conversation was defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Williams, 27, is a former first-team All-Pro and has earned three Pro Bowl nominations. Across his six seasons in the league, Williams has collected 39 sacks. Williams has reached a ceiling of 12 sacks in a single season before, but he also has provided a nice floor. In five of his six seasons, he has recorded at least 5.5 sacks.

Young Jets Offensive Linemen Earn Some Love

In that same first-round-pick worthy category, the Jets’ starting offensive tackles both made the list: Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou.

“The two tackles are more unproven than excellent. Fashanu had some trouble holding up against the variety of moves he saw from elite athletes last season, but he was mostly solid across his seven starts as a rookie. Membou was the No. 7 pick in April and doesn’t have any experience on the left side, which limits his trade ceiling, considering that teams still pay a premium for left tackles over their counterparts on the right side. If he emerges as an above-average right tackle, that would still be a bargain over the next four years on a rookie deal,” Barnwell said.

If Fashanu and Membou are what the Jets think they’re, this is a tremendous advantage.

Both players are on their rookie deals, which will allow the Jets to spend that money at other positions.

Just Missed the List…

An honorable mention, if you will, was Jets’ pass rusher Jermaine Johnson.

Johnson, 26, is an older prospect than you’d normally expect on a rookie contract because of his unique path to the NFL.

He has played three seasons in the NFL. Year No. 1, Johnson was slowly eased in as a rotational player. In his second season, Johnson exploded with a 7.5 sack season and a Pro Bowl berth. This past year, Johnson blew out his Achilles.

“He was recently cleared to return to practice, so while the Jets picked up his fifth-year option, teams will want to see whether the 25-year-old returns to his prior form,” Barnwell explained.