There was a lot to make of the Jets' season-opening 23-10 win over the Titans on Sunday as Gang Green put together a dominant performance against former head coach Robert Saleh's bunch in Nashville.

While quarterback Geno Smith was efficient, the run game controlled the clock and the offensive line set the tone in the trenches, the pass rush showed that it is going to be a force to be reckoned with this season with three sacks and five QB hits on Titans signal-caller Cam Ward.

One of those three sacks came from defensive end Will McDonald IV (h/t Glenn Naughton), who also recorded five pressures and four hurries.

This is the final year of his four-year rookie deal, but with 18.5 sacks in the last two seasons and a team-high eight in 2025, the stud pass rusher wasted no time getting off to a strong start, showing why the Jets should be focused on keeping him around going forward.

Jets must hammer out a Will McDonald IV extension ASAP

Although the Jets amassed the second-fewest sacks in the league (26) last season and McDonald has struggled against the run in his career, that was far from the case on Sunday. Along with one of the team's three sacks, McDonald had a performance so strong in the opener that Pro Football Focus listed him as the 14th-best edge rusher with an overall grade of 80.7.

That was especially important considering McDonald was charged with five missed run tackles, which resulted in a 19.2% miss percentage last season, according to PFF. He also ranked 112th among all qualified edge rushers with a dismal 41.6 run-defense grade in 2025, so it was clear he entered this contract year facing some increased pressure to perform and become a long-term piece in Gang Green.

The collective effort from the defensive line was instrumental to the Jets' success on Sunday and served as an excellent start in helping McDonald put those concerns to rest. While T'Vondre Sweat was one of the unsung heroes of the dominant performance, offseason acquisition Kingsley Enagbare and second-overall pick David Bailey joined McDonald in the sack department as New York's newcomers flashed some early potential in Gotham.

That dominant effort as a whole spoke volumes, even if it was just one game against a Titans team that did not look all that impressive to begin with. Even with the success from those around him, McDonald still posted a team-high 80.8 pass rush grade and seemed to benefit tremendously from having Bailey in the mix.

This is a player who had twice as many sacks as the next-closest player on the team last season, so the fact that he has other talented players like Bailey commanding attention away from him should only enable him to create more pressure and make a strong case for why the Jets should have no doubt regarding his future with the franchise.

That said, four of his eight sacks last season came in a Week 10 clash against the Browns, so it was not like he was a constant force all year. That ultimately created some additional pressure to perform going into 2026, as the Jets brought in several offseason acquisitions more than capable of giving him a run for his money.

If McDonald can replicate his pass-rush success, make gains against the run, and become a reliable three-down defender, there is no reason to believe he wouldn't be worthy of a sizable contract extension and give the Jets no other option besides re-signing him.

It was crucial going into the season for McDonald to make a strong statement and leave no doubt on the field for the Jets to keep him around. One game alone won't instantly change everything, but it could be a huge first step toward establishing McDonald's presence early on and reminding the organization why an extension could be a top priority if he keeps playing with the same intensity.

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