The Hasson Reddick situation is a weird one. Like many players before him, he wanted a new contract before the last year of his current one. The Eagles decided to trade him to the Jets for a conditional 3rd rounder at the end of March instead of paying him. What’s unusual is that the Jets have still not agreed to a contract extension with him, despite giving up assets to get him. In fact, FOX NFL reporter Jordan Schultz said that the Jets have not talked to him since his introductory press conference. SIX MONTHS OF NOT TALKING!?! Only the Jets could pull of something like that.
I am normally in favor of a player not holding out. However, in this case I see where Reddick is coming from. He is an elite edge rusher and has the 4th most sacks in the NFL since 2020. Edge rusher is one of the most valuable positions in the sport and elite edge rushers get massive deals. Haason Reddick has not gotten one of those massive deals yet, despite playing so well the past 4 years. In his career, he has made just over $50 million. That’s obviously a ton of money. However, the best pass rushers in the league are making over $30 million per year and getting over $100 million guaranteed at signing. I’m not saying Reddick will get that kind of money, but he can reasonably expect to get a deal around 3 years for $60 million total and $40 million guaranteed. That would almost double his career earnings. Furthermore, this is probably the last big contract he will ever have the chance to sign since he turns 30 this month. That means it’s now or never for him.
Playing such a sought after position, the fact that the Jets traded a high draft pick for him, and the fact that the Jets are vying for a playoff spot gives him leverage. The Jets eventually either have to pay him or trade him to another team that will so they can recuperate their losses. If he plays, he could lose all that leverage by getting hurt or having a down year, which would likely ensure that he never gets the massive deal he could get now. So, while its a weird situation, I get why he’s doing what he’s doing.
And a little piece of advice to the Jets: If you’re going to trade a high draft pick for a player who you KNOW wants a new contract, try to have a deal in place BEFORE you trade for him OR be willing to pay him what he wants. The Eagles let the Jets negotiate with Reddick before they traded for him. Even though they couldn’t come to an agreement, they STILL traded for him. And then after all that, it’s not like they have been in back and forth negotiations all offseason. Instead, they haven’t talked to him in SIX MONTHS and now find themselves in an embarrassing situation that looks bleak for them.
Will the the Jets will ever learn from their mistakes and cease to be one of the worst franchises in all of sports? As a Pats fan, I certainly hope not and as someone with a brain, I’m willing to bet they never will.
J-E-T-S JETS GONNA JETS.
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