San Francisco 49ers get Jordan Willis in trade with tanking Jets

The San Francisco 49ers acquired Jets linebacker Jordan Willis in a trade with the New York Jets.

Sooner or later, don’t be surprised to see the New York Jets trading everyone.

On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers acquired Jets outside linebacker Jordan Willis and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2022. New York recently made headlines in the trading scene when they shipped nose tackle Steve McClendon and a 2023 seventh-round selection for a 2021 sixth-round pick.

The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and later confirmed by ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

49ers add linebacker depth in trade with Jets

Willis isn’t a star by any means, but perhaps a change of scenery could do him wonders. This season, the 25-year-old only played in 42 snaps and did not record a tackle. He was inactive the past three games.

Drafted in the third round of Kansas State in 2017, the former Wildcat began his NFL career as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Two years after minimal production, he was released in 2019 on roster cutdown day. On Sept. 11, 2019, he was claimed off waivers by the Jets.

For his career, Willis has. tallied 52 career tackles, nine quarterback hits, eight tackles for losses. three sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a pass deflection. The 49ers have yet to announce if he will be active for their Week 7 outing against the New England Patriots.

In Robert Saleh’s system, expect Willis to return to his original defensive end role. The 49ers currently are struggling in finding consistency in the trenches following season-ending injuries to Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas. Dee Ford, the team’s situational pass rusher, is also expected to miss Sunday’s game.

The Jets won’t admit it, but the tank is on. At 0-6, the team now has nine picks in each of the next three drafts. The only question that remains now is if they’ll be willing to trade Sam Darnold for a massive offer before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov.3.