Cyclones In the NFL: Week 9

The NFL season is another week in, and the trade deadline is here, with many notable former Cyclones, such as Will McDonald and Breece Hall, considered to be on the trade block. None were traded before the 3 p.m. CDT deadline, but several former Iowa State players did perform well for their teams in Week 9.

So, in case you missed it, here is how some of your favorite former Cyclones performed in Week 9:  

Purdy and the 49ers get another win on Sunday against the Raiders (38-17). Purdy had a solid game, 17 of 25 for 232 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while also having seven carries for 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The game didn't feel all that close in the end, the Raiders did manage to come back a bit but Purdy and the 49ers were able to keep the game in hand and win it.

They're at 7-1 now and have just made a trade to acquire another weapon for Purdy in the form of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen. They're set to take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.

In his first game back after suffering a quad injury that has kept him out for the past five weeks, Breece Hall came back and had a decent outing, getting 15 carries and rushing for 61 yards, although the Jets would lose 35-12 to the Kansas City Chiefs, falling to 2-7 on the year. Hall would hit a career milestone, passing Bill Mathis (3,589 yards) to move up to ninth on the New York Jets all-time rushing list with 3,622 career rushing yards.

After a consistent drop in snaps throughout the first half of the season and with a number of trade rumours swirling around him, McDonald actually saw an increase in snaps in Week 9. But the real story though was around the trade deadline. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stated that he wanted McDonald to remain a Jet ahead of the trade deadline and that proved to be the case. McDonald has been linked to a number of teams over the years, most notably the Titans (given his connection to former Jets HC Robert Saleh) and the Cowboys (who were interested in him at the draft and had a need for a pass rusher), but McDonald will remain a Jet for at least the rest of the 2026 season.