FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. Waiting for Mr. Rodgers: Will McDonald IV hasn't set a sack goal for this season -- or so he claimed -- but he has identified a particular quarterback on his most-wanted list.
"I always wanted to sack [Aaron Rodgers], from a little kid," said the Jets' 2024 sack leader, who grew up Milwaukee, about two hours from Rodgers' longtime stomping grounds in Green Bay.
McDonald won't have to wait long to try to fulfill his ambition. The Jets will face their former quarterback in the season opener on Sept. 7 (1 p.m. ET, CBS), when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit MetLife Stadium.
Amending his initial thought, McDonald said he wasn't interested in playing football as a youngster, but he certainly had an eye on Rodgers: "I did watch him, though. I watched him a lot."
McDonald, a 2023 first-round pick, is now the Jets' most accomplished edge rusher. He made a huge leap last season (10.5 sacks), and the talk around camp is how he's primed for a big season.
He said he "pounded food" in the offseason, eating six meals a day and gaining 15 pounds to increase his weight to about 245. He's still undersized, but he feels stronger and hopes to incorporate more power into his pass rushing.
"Obviously, everybody knows that I like to [use] speed and spin and all of that, but once I get the tackles on their heels, I'm able to get to power," McDonald said.
McDonald caught some breaks last season (he was unblocked on two sacks and the quarterback tripped over him for another), but there's no denying he made significant improvement in an increased role. His playing time skyrocketed because of Jermaine Johnson's season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2 and Haason Reddick's holdout into October.
This season, McDonald and Johnson are the projected starters at defensive end.
"He's going to do a lot of damage in this league," Jets coach Aaron Glenn said of McDonald.
It starts against Rodgers.
"I'm sure he's going to have a few tricks up his sleeve," McDonald said of the four-time MVP.
2. A sack story: If McDonald reaches 10 sacks, he will be the first Jets player since Shaun Ellis (2003-04) to record double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Once upon a time, this was a franchise known for its fierce pass rush.
See: The New York Sack Exchange, circa 1982.
3. Bridging the generation gap: Let's take a ride in the time machine.
On Feb. 23, 2010, the Jets signed a new kicker, Nick Folk, who would stick around for seven years. Two months after Folk's arrival, they signed former Miami Dolphins star pass rusher Jason Taylor, now a Pro Football Hall of Famer. They were teammates for a year, finishing that season in the AFC Championship Game.
Let's fast forward a generation.
Folk is back -- he signed Tuesday -- and one of his new teammates is rookie tight end Mason Taylor, Jason's son, who was 6 years old in 2010. How cool is that? That's a testament to the elder Taylor's genes and Folk's longevity.
"I remember him running around in Cortland," said Folk, referring to the Jets' training camp site in upstate New York. "It's a crazy world we live in. It's been fun."
Folk also played with Taylor's uncle, Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas (Dallas Cowboys, 2008), and his new coach. Folk and Glenn were teammates briefly in 2007 (Cowboys training camp).
Folk, 40, is second on the Jets' all-time scoring list with 729 points, behind Pat Leahy's 1,470.
4. Musical kickers: Since releasing Folk after the 2016 season, the Jets have gone through 15 kickers in the regular season, including five in 2024. Let that sink in for a moment.
5. Easy on the sauce: The coaches are working with wide receiver Garrett Wilson to fine-tune is route running.
Wilson is a "feel player," according to offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. He likes to ad lib, based on what he sees. That used to irk Rodgers, who wanted his receivers to be precise and follow the script. At the same time, Wilson's "feel" sometimes allows him to make special plays.
"Garrett at times will have a little bit of -- I don't know, call it, 'sauce' to the routes at times," Engstrand said. "We try to keep that under control where it's beneficial to us."
6. Time-and-a-half: One of the offseason standouts was left tackle Olu Fashanu, the Jets' 2024 first-round pick. After ending his rookie season with a foot injury, he decided to work overtime. He actually showed up for workouts on the weekends, according to Glenn.
"He's committed to making sure that he's available, for one," Glenn said, adding: "He's going to be a huge part of what we're trying to build when it comes to the O-line."
The work apparently paid off. By all accounts, Fashanu is having an excellent camp.
7. Watch this: Cornerback Sauce Gardner practiced the other day with a pretty pricey wristband -- a watch, actually, but not just any timepiece. It was a Richard Mille watch, he told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" podcast.
Gardner wouldn't say how much it set him back, but that brand of luxury watch is known to cost at least $200,000. He said teammate Quinnen Williams, who owns one, warned him that he could damage it in practice.
Hearing that, Gardner removed the watch quickly.
8. Tackling the problem: One of the early themes to camp is the physical nature of the practices, which have included some live tackling. Several players said they haven't done that since college, even high school.
The message from Glenn is clear: They were a poor tackling team in 2024, and he plans to rectify that.
In fact, the Jets ranked second to last in missed-tackle percentage (15.1), ahead of only the Cleveland Browns (16.1%), per Next Gen Stats. The worst three offenders on the Jets? They were McDonald (33.3%), safety Jalen Mills (22.8%) and tackle Solomon Thomas (21.2%).
Perhaps not coincidentally, Mills and Thomas are no longer on the team.
9. Mission Q: This is a pivotal year for linebacker Quincy Williams, who will hit free agency in 2026. He all but predicted a monster season, declaring, "I'm on a mission. I'm on a mission for all of it."
He wants to prove himself to the new regime, which is taking a wait-and-see approach on whether to extend him. Williams, 28, in the final year of a three-year, $18 million contract, will be a free agent after the season. The Jets gave a middle linebacker Jamien Sherwood a big payday in March (three years, $45 million), and you can bet Williams is seeking something in that financial neighborhood. Whether the Jets can afford both remains to be seen.
Williams called them "the best linebacker tandem in the league."
10. The last word: "I feel like I'm in 'The Avengers' right now." -- Defensive tackle Byron Cowart, describing the talent on all three levels of the defense.