In what will go down as a notable achievement for only the New York Jets, recently acquired pass rusher Haason Reddick demanded a trade on Monday, before ever having played a snap for the team. The Jets traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick for the outside linebacker this past March in an attempt to replace Bryce Huff, who signed with the Eagles in free agency, but they neglected to address the reason why Reddick was available to be traded.
Reddick, who has four straight seasons with double-digit sacks, was a trade target because the Eagles didn't want to give him a new contract. Philadelphia signed him to a three-year, $45 million deal in 2022, and after he'd outperformed that contract, he wanted a new deal. The Eagles began to shop Reddick shortly before they signed Huff to a three-year, $51 million deal, so the Jets made their move. According to ESPN, the team reportedly "did offer to extend [Reddick's] contract" at the time of the trade, but the terms of that offer are unknown, and "their preference was to revisit the contract later in the season or perhaps after the season."
As astute readers can figure out by now, Reddick's refusal to play under his existing contract is why the Jets were even able to trade for him. Had they hoped he would be wowed upon getting the chance to play with Aaron Rodgers? Did they expect to simply get lucky?
Reddick has sat out the entire offseason and accrued over $1 million in fines before this trade demand. This afternoon the Jets released a statement, attributed to general manager Joe Douglas, saying they would not concede their position:
We have informed Haason that we will not trade him, that he is expected to be here with his teammates, and that he will continue to be fined per the CBA if he does not report. Since the trade discussions back in March we have been clear, direct and consistent with our position. Our focus will remain on the guys we have here as we prepare for the regular season.
The Jets do not have an impressive bounty of edge rushers—again, this is why they traded for Reddick—so it's in their best interests to figure this out promptly. This holdout will serve as only a brief pause from whatever new sideshow the team's starting quarterback can create through his next appearance on Pat McAfee's radio show.
