The New York Jets traded for edge rusher Haason Reddick to bolster their pass rush on April 1, dealing a conditional third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Approaching six months since that trade, Reddick is racking up more fines than appearances at the Jets’ facility.
Reddick, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, was traded away by Philadephia because of a contract stalemate. The 29-year-old edge rusher sought a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid NFL players at his position. Instead of extending him, Philadelphia replaced him with Jets’ pass rusher Bryce Huff then it traded Reddick to New York.
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- Hasson Reddick contract (Spotrac): $14.25 million base salary in 2024, NFL free agent in 205
He never attended a single Jets’ practice, exercising his right to a training camp holdout that the organization hoped would be resolved over the summer. However, a disagreement over the guarantees in an extension and reports of Reddick’s demands changing caused further issues.
Reddick requested a trade from the Jets on Aug. 12, publicly calling for the organization to deal him to a team that would pay him. New York immediately responded, announcing it wouldn’t trade its prized offseason acquisition and would continue to fine him as is required by the collective bargaining agreement.
- Haason Reddick stats (ESPN): 50.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries since 2020
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The Pro Bowl pass rusher will sit out Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, leaving New York without one of its best players for the second consecutive week. By missing Sunday’s game, per Adam Schefter, Reddick will forfeit his $800,000 game check, pushing his total financial losses to approximately $8 million.
Reddick’s motivation for sitting out ios evident. He hopes that his absence hurts the Jets defense so significantly that New York will come back to him with a better contract offer. It worked for All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones last season, who sat out Week 1 and then was rewarded with a re-negotiated deal.
New York did feel Reddick’s absence in a Week 1 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Last season, the Jets defense had the fourth-highest pressure rate (26.5 percent) and the second-best quarterback hurry rate (10.1 percent) in the NFL. In Week 1, New York’s pressure rate fell to 25.6 percent and it netted just 2 sacks.
