Several veterans around the NFL have used ongoing minicamps as a means of trying out with a team in the hopes of landing a new deal. In the case of edge rusher Takkarist McKinley, that has produced a Jets agreement. 
McKinley took part in the Jets’ minincamp, as noted by Brian Costello of the New York Post. The former first-rounder did enough to secure a roster spot for at least the summer. He and the team have a deal in place, as first reported by Connor Hughes of SNY. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
The 28-year-old began his career with the Falcons, logging 25 starts across 49 games. Expectations were high after McKinley racked up 13 sacks in his first two campaigns, but he has failed to match that production since. Following the end of his Atlanta tenure, he bounced around to the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders.
That led to a one-year Browns contract in 2021. McKinley recorded 2.5 sacks that year, and they remain the most recent of his career. The UCLA product played sparingly for the Rams in 2022, collecting just one tackle. A Cowboys re-signing last March did not yield a roster spot. He was out of the league last season, so this agreement represents an opportunity to revive his career and compete for a depth role along the Jets’ defensive front.
New York saw Bryce Huff depart in free agency. While Haason Reddick was acquired as a replacement, the team later moved on from John Franklin-Myers in a cost-shedding trade during the draft. Reddick is under contract for one more year, although his ongoing absence from the team has cast doubt on his long-term future in the Big Apple.
The Jets have recent first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald in place along the edge. The latter in particular is expected to see a notable uptick in workload despite the former and Reddick being set to handle first-team responsibilities. McKinley will nevertheless spend training camp looking to carve out a rotational and/or special teams role in his bid to return to NFL game action.
McKinley has exactly as many career NFL sacks as Solomon Thomas and Javon Kinlaw combined, so he’s really bolstering the Jets’ crew of first round bust depth players.
Gotta fill that Reddick hole I guess
Takk has a great chance to make the roster unless the Jets decide to bring Mark Gastineau (now 67) in for a workout.
Can’t have him and not bring Klecko back too.
Maybe somebody needs to start an old guys league. It’s got to be better than the UFL or whatever they’ll call it next year. Brett Favre just called and said he’s in for an old guys league. He just called again and said he’s out. Wait, he’s back in again. Yay!!
Could my 67 year old wife be a cheerleader in this league? I need to find her a hobby that doesn’t involve shopping.
Brett called again and he’s out.
He just called again and said he’s totally committed to playing in the OLG.
Yes, she can be a cheerleader, but she will have to supply her own spanx and leg warmers.
Did Ullbrich coach Takk in Atlanta?