Takk McKinley was just thrown in the unemployment line by the New York Jets ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the New England Patriots.
The team announced the move at 4:24 pm ET, less than 24 hours before the green and white kick off their game against the Pats.
McKinley originally entered the NFL as the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. After some trials and tribulations over the last couple of years, the Jets gave him a chance for redemption this summer. McKinley took full advantage of it impressing the coaches and making the 53-man roster for the 2024 season.
It was a perfect storm for McKinley this offseason.
The Jets gave the talented pass rusher a tryout based on his previous relationship with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Ulbrich crossed over with McKinley for his entire run with the Atlanta Falcons from 2017 through 2020.
As a favor to Ulbrich, the Jets kicked the tires on McKinley this offseason and they liked what they saw. The former UCLA product was given a spot on the 90-man roster with no promises beyond that.
The Jets opened the door for McKinley and he did the rest.
Throughout the preseason and training camp, people around the team told me he was "unblockable."
In addition to his own performance, McKinley benefitted from Haason Reddick holding out for months. Without Reddick at Jets camp, there were more pass rush reps to go around and the team was seeking to fill the void.
It is somewhat poetic that Reddick's eventual return took away the roster spot that McKinley earned because of Haason's absence in the first place.
McKinley appeared in all seven of the Jets games, but he only registered nine total tackles and half a sack. He played in just 28% of the defensive snaps and he didn't do enough with those opportunities to earn more playing time.
Jermaine Johnson blew out his Achilles in Week 2 and Reddick missed the first seven games of the season. McKinley had a chance to carve out a legitimate role, but he never built upon the hype from the offseason.
The green and white activated Reddick making him a part of the 53-man roster. On Saturday, October 26 the Jets and Reddick's representation finalized his "adjusted" one-year deal for the 2024 season, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Interestingly that means Reddick practiced all week with the team without having his contract adjusted. After months of contentious energy between Reddick and the team, it appears they were both able to find some common ground.
He will make his debut against the Patriots and Ulbrich said he won't have a pitch count for the game.
In other news, the Jets made a pair of practice squad elevations ahead of the New England trip.