The Cardinals’ newly formed Chandler Jones–J.J. Watt pass-rushing duo doubles as one of the most accomplished in modern NFL history, though assembling this tandem may leave the team’s breakout pass rusher in search of a new home.
Haason Reddick was hopeful he could stay with the Cardinals, despite his rocky tenure prior that led to the team declining the linebacker’s fifth-year option. And the Cards, prior to their Watt signing, expressed interest in bringing Reddick back, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).
Pre-Watt, the Cardinals were carrying more than $11MM in cap space. While the team does have a rookie quarterback contract around which to build, it will certainly be a more difficult task to re-sign Reddick now. The Cards also expressed interest in keeping Patrick Peterson. A scenario in which Peterson and Reddick return now appears extremely unlikely. And cornerback will be a much greater Arizona need entering free agency.
Of course, Steve Keim‘s splashy Watt transaction points to the franchise’s interest in contending for a Super Bowl now. Reddick returning would certainly strengthen that prospect, after his 12.5-sack season, and Watt’s extensive experience as an interior pass rusher would seemingly leave a fit for the former first-round pick on the edge opposite Jones.
Markus Golden could serve as a cheaper option for the Cards to retain. He did not draw much interest after his 10-sack season with the 2019 Giants and expressed a desire to stay in Arizona this year. Golden did not record a sack in nine games back with the Cardinals last year but did post 14 QB hits — just two shy of Reddick’s total last season.
I’m not a GM, but been watching the game since the 70’s. usually it doesn’t work out signing a 30+ year old player with multiple injures to a large contract; only to toss aside younger & cheaper players.
Maybe Reddick will get paid, but with 1 solid year and the rest average, I’d bet he’ll sign a 1 year ‘prove it deal’.
I really, really liked Reddick coming out of college, but he admittedly hit a wall in the pros. Of course, a lot of that was from Arizona moving him around and not allowing him to settle in to a role in the pros. Hopefully now he can deliver for some team, but his slow start and sudden break would make me wary of inking Reddick to a mega deal just yet.
He definitely has the athletic potential and seems like a good worker, but perhaps a Shaq Barrett “prove it” style approach would be best, especially given the salary cap concerns. Reddick may end up using a one year deal as motivation in the end, as Barrett did, and play himself into an even better long term contract.
AZ never played him at his natural position until this year. I don’t know what he’ll do in the future, but I bet it’ll be closer to 2020 than to his first 3 seasons.
Agreed. He was put at ILB/MLB for some reason for a while, then tossed through a lot of different schemes. That seemed to happen with all of Arizona’s linebackers for a while there. Either way, I hope Reddick can capitalize on this year to deliver on his college potential.
Well it only takes one team for reddick to get that big deal. Maybe there’s a team that’s already sold on him.
rams have about five moves to free-up $40 plus million in cap space and reddick could be a perfect edge presence next to donald and he can succeed just like dante fowler and leonard floyd before him. it’s the perfect and almost identical recipe of an underachieving high first round pick as a reclamation project who turns their career around then the rams let them walk and get a 3rd round comp picks, genius. also could see the rams tagging and trading john johnson then signing peterson to play safety at this point of his career.