New York Jets Acquisition of Haason Reddick Has Been Epic Failure

Coming into the 2024 NFL season, one of the presumed strengths of the New York Jets was their pass rushers.

The team had done a wonderful job of stockpiling talented players who could get after the quarterback. First-round picks were used on Jermaine Johnson II and Will McDonald IV to anchor the unit.

This offseason, they made another massive addition to the group, acquiring Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets sent a conditional 2026 pick to them, a third-rounder that could become a second-rounder if he played 67.5 percent of the snaps and had 10+ sacks or was traded to an NFC team.

He was expected to boost this unit to another level, recording at least 11 sacks in four straight seasons as one of the premier edge rushers in the game. 

Alas, that kind of impact has not been provided.

His tenure with the franchise got off to an abysmal start as he didn’t report after the trade. Seeking a new contract, he held out during all offseason activities and training camp hoping to get a new deal.

An offer never came and he just didn’t show up. His holdout dragged on for months as communication between the two sides was nonexistent.

Eventually, things got worked out and he reported to the team. It took until Week 8 of the regular season for Reddick to make his debut against the New England Patriots.

Taking a little bit of time to knock off the rust after sitting out so long was expected. In his second game against the Houston Texans, he started showing signs of breaking out, as he and the pass rush made life miserable for reigning rookie of the year, quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Alas, that breakout didn’t last very long.

In the subsequent weeks, viewers wouldn’t even know he has been on the field given how little of an impact he has been making.

Against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the entire team struggled to get after the quarterback. Despite dropping back to pass 47 times, Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t hit once. The only time a player got to him was Quinnen Williams, who was flagged for roughing the passer.

Reddick recorded one pressure in that game out of his 30 pass-rushing snaps. Unfortunately, that lack of production has become the norm, as he now has 0.5 sacks and one quarterback hit on 130 pass rush attempts in 2024.

That is certainly not the kind of production New York was hoping for when they traded away a premium draft pick. Not to mention the other moves that were made to fit his salary on their payroll, such as trading John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos.

He has been excellent as part of their pass rush rotation with 5.0 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss for a Broncos team fighting for a playoff spot in the AFC.

The Jets have already officially been eliminated from playoff contention, but their season has been over for weeks. Reddick’s lack of an impact defensively certainly played a part, as it was a major whiff acquiring him.

The only positive to come out of this situation is that New York won’t be down a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is trending toward being in the top 40. Had Reddick played well and the team still performed poorly, it would have hurt even more.