Community Tailgate: Haason Reddick’s Jets Holdout

Haason Reddick’s situation remains one surrounded by uncertainty. The Pro Bowl edge rusher has been away from the Jets throughout the offseason with the exception of his introductory press conference on April 1.

The past two seasons saw Reddick cement his status as one of the most productive players at his position, as he racked up 27 sacks in 34 games. That brought his total since 2020 to 50.5, fourth-most in the league during that span. Once it became clear no Philadelphia extension would be in play, though, the team allowed him to seek out a trade. Reddick preferred to remain with the Eagles, but he was dealt to the Jets for a conditional third-round pick.

That selection can become a second-rounder based on his playing time and production, but it would come as a surprise if he hit either threshold as things currently stand. The soon-to-be 30-year-old received an extension offer from the Jets prior to the trade taking place, but that was below market value.

Signs indicated team and player would be willing to continue negotiating after the introductory presser, with New York being particularly amenable to tacking on incentives to the 2024 portion of Reddick’s contract. No progress has been made on that front, however, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rich Cimini note an agreement of any kind is not considered imminent at this time.

Reddick’s camp expected the Jets to circle back to extension talks during the summer, during which he remained away from the team. The matter of his absence has become a central sticking point in this situation; New York has insisted negotiations will only take place once the Temple product reports, while he continues to wait for discussions on a resolution to resume. With neither side willing to budge, this saga took another turn last month.

Again looking to find a suitor willing to meet his desired contract terms, Reddick asked for a trade from the Jets in August. To little surprise, general manager Joe Douglas immediately shot down the request, although the weeks following that move have not yielded any new developments. Reddick has still not attended the facility, leading to New York retaining him on the reserve/did not report list. Douglas has remained consistent in his messaging that contract talks can and will take place once the holdout ends.

In the meantime, Reddick’s financial penalties for his absence continue to accumulate. Mandatory daily training camp fines – which, since he is not attached to a rookie contract, cannot be waived – have reached $4.5MM at this point, while he has also lost a portion of his signing bonus. The former first-rounder lost out on a $792K game check last week, and that will remain the case today and for each contest moving forward until a resolution is found. Reddick’s original base salary for the year ($14.25MM) did not vest ahead of Week 1 since he is still not on the Jets’ active roster, and his earning power as a free agent has no doubt taken a hit this offseason.

Still, his return to the field – which may not take place in 2024 – would be welcomed on a Jets team which lost Bryce Huff (to the Eagles) in free agency and dealt John Franklin-Myers during the draft. Reddick is viewed as having a three-down skillset, something which differentiates him from Huff, so he could occupy a notable role for New York if he were to end his holdout. As the cases of Le’Veon Bell (2018) and Trent Williams (2019) demonstrate, however, players have been known to skip out entire campaigns in the past.

Chris Jones continued his efforts to land a new Chiefs accord into Week 1 last year. Kansas City lost the season opener, and a new agreement was in place before Week 2. Reddick has continued his holdout past that point, and while his agent has been in contact with Douglas, no direct communication with the team has taken place. No end is in sight as a result, although things could of course change rather quickly.

Reddick’s contract will toll in the event he skips out on the entire campaign. That would leave him under team control with the Jets and thus eliminate the possibility of landing a market-level free agent contract in 2025. As CBS Sports’ Joel Corry notes, no exact deadline is in place for him to report to accrue a season in 2024, although doing so before the trade deadline would help ensure he manages to hit the open market during the spring (unless, of course, a Jets extension comes to pass in the near future). Until any movement happens in on either side of this situation, speculation will continue.

How do you see the Reddick holdout proceeding? Will a resolution allowing him to play in New York this season take place, or will another outcome (specifically a trade to a new team or his absence spanning the entire campaign) come to bear? Give your thoughts in the comments section below.