NFL Executives Speak Out on New York Jets Haason Reddick Situation

The New York Jets traded for a Pro Bowl player when they landed Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles. Reddick said he was happy to be on the team, as he was joining arguably the best defense in the NFL.

However, what he failed to mention at the time of the trade was his contract situation. Reddick is searching for a new contract, and the Jets understood that. What they didn’t realize, however, was that he wasn’t going to show up to practice until that contract was figured out.

Four months later, Reddick hasn’t attended training camp, OTAs, and much more.

According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, he’s been fined $850,000 in mandatory fines for missing 15 days of training camp and $300,000 in discretionary fines, making his total over $1 million in fines.

It doesn’t make much sense for a player looking to make money to lose $1 million in half a month, but here Reddick is.

Not having an agreement in place for a new contract was a questionable decision for New York, but it’s also fair from their perspective. Reddick is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. There’s no denying that.

Still, the Jets likely want to see how he’d fit with the team, both on and off the field, before handing him the money he’s looking for.

Cimini spoke to some executives around the league and received polarizing responses from them about the situation.

“I’d pay him,” a former GM said. “I know he’s 30, but he’s a top-five edge rusher, and those are hard to find. I don’t know why they didn’t sign him. Why did you put yourself in this hand basket?”

New York didn’t put themselves in a horrible position with the trade, moving a third-round pick, but it’s still something they need to resolve. If they lose him after this year for a third-round pick, they can deal with that. That, of course, shouldn’t be the goal.

If it happens, it happens. They simply just need him on the field as soon as possible, as this might be their best chance to win a Super Bowl.

With Aaron Rodgers only getting older, they must consider their future.

“I understand why Joe doesn’t want to pay him,” a third agent said. “[Reddick] is a little long in the tooth, and he’s already paying [Aaron] Rodgers, and he has all those young players coming up.”

The Jets are almost certainly thinking about that, as Rodgers could be gone after this season. Reddick would help them compete in the future, but having money to spend on a quarterback might be a bigger focus moving forward.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens, as New York wasn’t expecting this. With the season about a month away, they need to figure it out as soon as possible.