Jets Pass Rusher Will McDonald Makes Dramatic Change Ahead of 2025

New York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald is making a serious jersey change heading into 2025.

According to the Jets’ official roster sheet, McDonald exchanged jersey No. 99 for jersey No. 9.

#Jets pass rusher Will McDonald has changed his jersey number from No. 99 to No. 9, per the @nyjets roster sheet.

The No. 99 remains vacant on the NYJ roster.#JetUp h/t @cuthbertallbad1 pic.twitter.com/MXDc7jKFyg

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) May 19, 2025

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“#9 is now in motion,” McDonald posted on social media.

#9 is now in motion

— Will McDonald (@WILL_JUN1OR) May 19, 2025

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Jets senior reporter Eric Allen later confirmed the jersey number change news on the team website.

McDonald Is Going Back to His Roots With the Jets

McDonald, 25, spent five years in college at Iowa State. In McDonald’s first collegiate season, he wore the jersey No. 99 in 2018. For the final four seasons of his college career, he donned the No. 9.

McDonald also wore the No. 9 jersey in high school at Waukesha North.

https://t.co/v9vQTu3yvg pic.twitter.com/1Dc7XISmKf

— Matthew Harris (@CoachHarris28) May 19, 2025

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The No. 99 jersey now remains vacant with no other Jets player taking it. Several Jets fans on social media openly hope it will stay that way.

Several former Jets have represented the No. 99 jersey, like Steve McLendon, Bryan Thomas, Hugh Douglas, but the most notable is easily Mark Gastineau.

The former East Central product spent his entire 10-year career in the NFL with the Jets. During that run, he racked up five Pro Bowls, five All-Pro nominations, led the league in sacks twice, and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1982.

Gastineau finished his career with 107.5 sacks.

Gastineau was a key piece of the famed New York Sack Exchange that dominated the NFL in the 1980s. After he retired from the NFL, Gastineau was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor.

In the Jets’ team history, five players have had their jerseys retired: Joe Namath (No. 12), Curtis Martin (No. 28), Don Maynard (No. 13), Joe Klecko (No. 73), and Dennis Byrd (No. 90).

You can make a strong case that Gastineau deserves to be in that conversation.

The No. 99 jersey for the #Jets is currently vacant after Will McDonald switched to No. 9.

Is it finally time for the @nyjets to retire Mark Gastineau’s No. 99 jersey?

🏈 107.5 career sacks
🏈 5-time Pro Bowler
🏈 5-time All-Pro
🏈 Led the #NFL in sacks twice
🏈 NFL Defensive… pic.twitter.com/KPbdc9wc7p

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) May 20, 2025

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Start of OTAs Means Jets Football Is Almost Back

On Tuesday, May 20, the Jets will officially begin phase three of the offseason, more commonly referred to as OTAs.

“Phase 3 is a four-week period that consists of 10 OTAs. Teams can have a maximum of three OTAs in each of the first two weeks, and a fourth non-OTA workout is allowed but with Phase 2 rules (no offense vs. defense, no one-on-ones, no helmets),” Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg explained.

“Live contact is not permitted, and players are not allowed to wear shoulder pads, but they can wear helmets. Teams can conduct 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills, and players can be at the facility for no more than six hours per day,” Greenberg added.

Here is the full OTA workout schedule for the Jets: May 20-22, May 28-30, and finally June 2-5. All of these scheduled workouts are voluntary.

However, from June 10-12 is the Jets’ mandatory minicamp. That will be the final leg of the offseason before the team breaks for vacation and returns to action in late July for training camp.