New York Jets News & Rumors

NFLPA Files Grievance Over Haason Reddick’s Preseason Jets Fines

Haason Reddick‘s Jets holdout has come to an end, with team and player agreeing to a deal. It remains to be seen at this point how the financial components of the revised pact will shake out vis-à-vis the multitude of penalties Reddick accumulated before today’s news.

One point of contention is the money Reddick lost during the preseason. His decision to avoid reporting to the Jets allowed the team to fine him the value of one regular season game check (just under $792K) for each exhibition game missed. As a result, $2.38MM in fines were accumulated, although it is unsettled with respect to if it will be paid out.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the NFLPA had already filed a grievance over the preseason fines in question prior to today’s Reddick news. The union’s argument is that Reddick signed his contract to join the Eagles before eventually being traded to the Jets, differentiating his situation from holdouts affecting a player’s original contracted team. The same could be argued as it pertains to the $2MM in fines Reddick racked up by remaining absent from training camp, although as Florio notes those penalties are not currently at issue.

A separate Florio piece adds that the Jets are prepared to waive the fines for Reddick’s preseason absence if the NFL and NFLPA can reach an agreement regarding whether or not it is possible for that to take place. Of course, the missed game checks from his regular season absences comprise a much larger penalty, and it will be interesting to see how exactly the revised accord between team and player works out. Once the full details of the pact are known, further clarity will arise based on what Reddick’s earning potential for 2024 is as he prepares to report to the team. Crucially, the two-time Pro Bowler will remain on track for free agency regardless of what happens regarding his Jets penalties.

Teams Have Contacted Jets About WR Garrett Wilson; Jets Not Interested In Trade

Since the Jets acquired Davante Adams via trade, it has seemed like only a matter of time before the club deals one of the other wide receivers on its depth chart. While Mike Williams was (and is) the most obvious trade candidate, rival teams have also expressed interest in landing a different WR.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, several teams reached out to Jets brass in the wake of the Adams trade to gauge New York’s interest in moving Garrett Wilson, who has represented one of the few bright spots on the Gang Green offense over the past several seasons. Unsurprisingly, the club has rebuffed all such overtures.

With the soon-to-be 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and a front office and coaching staff that may well be facing a “playoffs or bust” mandate, the Jets are very much in win-now mode (an endeavor bolstered by their recent agreement ending edge defender Haason Reddick‘s holdout). The long-rumored acquisition of Adams was always intended to complement Wilson, not push him off the roster, regardless of the draft capital New York could land in such a move.

The No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Wilson posted over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two professional seasons, despite being far and away the best pass-catching option on an offense quarterbacked predominantly by Zach Wilson. Garrett Wilson earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2022, and while he and Rodgers have struggled to develop a consistent rapport in 2024, the future Hall of Fame signal-caller has targeted the Ohio State product 67 times over the first six games of the current campaign (including a whopping 23 targets in a Week 5 loss to the Vikings).

In Week 6, with Todd Downing calling offensive plays for the first time for the Jets, Rodgers and Wilson connected eight times on 10 targets, leading to 107 yards and a score for the third-year receiver. With Adams now in the fold to draw some attention from opposing defenses, the club hopes Wilson will be even more productive and help key a playoff push.

Per Schefter, the teams that were interested in trading for Wilson were also willing to extend him next offseason, at which point he will have three years of service time and will therefore be eligible for a second contract. The wide receiver market is positively booming, and at some point in the near future, Wilson will likely be one of the many beneficiaries of that trend. Whether his next deal comes from the Jets remains to be seen, but it would be a shock if he did not remain with the club at least through the remainder of the season.

Schefter also notes that the Raiders were at one point interested in having Williams be part of the return in an Adams trade. Las Vegas general manager Tom Telesco, of course, was the Chargers’ GM when he drafted Williams and later authorized a $20MM/year extension for him, so his appreciation for Williams’ game is clear. Nonetheless, it seems plain that 2024 is a transition year for the Raiders, so acquiring a player who is now on a one-year contract would have registered as a curious decision. Ultimately, Telesco and Jets GM Joe Douglas settled on a conditional third-round pick as the cost for Adams, with New York also agreeing to take on the remainder of Adams’ 2024 salary.

While Williams will not be traded prior to tonight’s matchup with the Steelers, the Jets are open to dealing him before the November 5 deadline. Pittsburgh, the Saints, and the Chargers have all expressed interest in his services.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/24

Saturday’s practice squad moves:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Chargers, Saints, Steelers Inquire About Jets’ Mike Williams

OCTOBER 19: For the time being, at least, talks between the Jets and Steelers about Williams are on hold. Negotiations will be paused until after the teams play each other tomorrow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rich Cimini report. Depending on how that contest – which Williams is set to take part in – plays out, it will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh and New York proceed.

OCTOBER 17: For the second time this year, Mike Williams has generated trade discussions. Months after talks in March, he is not attached to a high-end contract a team is desperate to move. Though, the team that authorized Williams’ 2022 deal is back in on the suddenly available wide receiver.

The Chargers are among the teams to have inquired with the Jets on Williams, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who reports the Saints and Steelers have reached out on the eighth-year veteran as well. Following their Davante Adams acquisition, the Jets are prepared to move on from Williams.

No move is expected this week, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds Williams would be open with being moved out of New York. Although he has not assimilated too well into the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers-orchestrated offense — to the point the four-time MVP was critical of his route on a late-game interception — enough teams are still in need at the position that a deal should be made eventually. The Jets have until Nov. 5 to move on via trade.

The Bolts dangled Williams in trades just before the 2024 league year began, attempting to move his $20MM-per-year contract to reach cap compliance. They ended up doing so via release, cutting the Clemson alum before trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The Patriots were linked to Williams at the time, before becoming tied to a few other receivers, but it is not known if New England is back in on the former top-10 pick. Williams, 30, however, is generating interest from other clubs who have been linked to WRs this year.

Pittsburgh joined New England in the Brandon Aiyuk market, beating out other suitors in agreeing to trade framework with San Francisco. Although the Steelers waited out that situation for weeks, Aiyuk signed a 49ers extension. This left Pittsburgh thin at receiver, with no clear complement to George Pickens emerging through six games. Known more for trading wideouts for draft picks rather than acquiring them, the Steelers have been scouring the market since Aiyuk ultimately passed. Omar Khan‘s team, however, was in on Adams. Though, the three-year Raiders wideout had been more interested in reuniting with Rodgers or Derek Carr.

Lacking the cap space to take on Adams’ contract without significant payroll adjustments, the Saints ended up seeing the Jets do so. After starting 2-0, New Orleans has lost four straight. The team is also heading into its Thursday-night matchup with Denver down both its top pass catchers. Chris Olave is in concussion protocol, and Rashid Shaheed is undergoing an exploratory meniscus surgery that leaves the rest of his season in doubt. With HC Dennis Allen‘s job on the line and GM Mickey Loomis 0-for-7 in playoff appearances without Sean Payton (the first four misses coming during the Aaron Brooks years), it makes sense the Saints are looking into available wideouts.

Jim Harbaugh‘s new Bolts regime bailed on Williams, doing so as he was rehabbing a torn ACL. The 6-foot-4 playmaker had battled injuries in Los Angeles but was available enough to post two 1,000-yard seasons alongside Allen. The younger of Justin Herbert‘s two long-running targets, Williams also totaled 895 receiving yards in 13 games in 2022. A back injury sustained in a meaningless Week 18 game in Denver sidelined Williams for the Chargers’ wild-card game in Jacksonville, which turned into a historic collapse. He then suffered the ACL injury in Week 3 of last season.

Harbaugh’s squad looked into other veteran receivers following Allen and Williams’ exits, eventually drafting Ladd McConkey early in the second round. Herbert has gone from a high-octane passer to a carefully managed option in Greg Roman‘s run-oriented offense. A familiar face returning could jumpstart the standout quarterback, but it is unclear if the Bolts are prepared to pay the roughly $3MM remaining of Williams’ 2024 salary. The rest of Williams’ money on a one-year, $10MM Jets deal has either been paid out in salary or is tied up in void years that will create a bit of dead money if/when the wideout is traded.

Williams was listed as a non-practice participant for a personal reason Wednesday. This presumably pertains to his status on the trade block. The trade candidate did resurface at the Jets’ facility Thursday, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets, though the veteran reporter adds Williams is again not practicing. This would point to the in-limbo receiver not playing in Week 7.

Before Williams slipped on the MetLife Stadium turf, leading to a crucial Taron Johnson INT, he had caught only 10 passes for 145 yards in six Jets games. He may well be done in a Jets uniform, but the team would technically still have the option of playing him after Adams debuts (which is expected this weekend). That said, it would surprise if Williams remained a Jet for too much longer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

Jets Rumors: 2024 Season, Reddick, Williams

At 2-4, this is not where the Jets thought they would be at this point of the 2024 NFL season. With so many glaring issues on the team that point to that record, one isn’t wrong to wonder why New York would make the big move to trade for wide receiver Davante Adams that they made this week. According to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports, the answer is pretty simple.

It’s all or nothing for many important figures in the Jets organization this season. The team has already parted ways with former head coach Robert Saleh, and if things don’t improve, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich and general manager Joe Douglas won’t be far behind him. To date, the Jets are 29-60 with Douglas as GM and have yet to make the playoffs with him at the helm. Add in the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers may not want to be playing next year at 42 years old, and there’s a chance New York will be home to a new head coach, GM, and quarterback in 2025.

All of this is on the table with an unsuccessful 2024 campaign, so everyone in New York is all-in on whatever it takes to win this season. When Saleh’s head was the first to roll, it became clear that drastic changes were needed in order for the rest of the crew to retain their jobs. If that means kowtowing to Rodgers and trading for his favorite receiver from their time in Green Bay, it appears that that’s what will happen. As evidence, a serious offer for Adams reportedly didn’t even come until after Saleh was let go, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Here are a few other rumors from the Jets in recent days:

  • The Jets have been actively shopping pass rusher Haason Reddick after trading for him this offseason. They may be a bit selective on where he goes, though. Breer points out that, should New York trade Reddick to an NFC team, the pick conditional pick that they sent to the Eagles for him goes from a third-round pick to a second-rounder. As much as they’d like to wash their hands of the situation, the pick difference is severe enough that they’re likely being picky about how they deal Reddick.
  • Another potential trade piece after the acquisition of Adams, it appears that wide receiver Mike Williams will play this weekend against the Steelers, per Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York. Ulbrich made the announcement today after Williams was a full participant at practice.

Jets Restructure Davante Adams’ Deal

OCTOBER 18: Providing further details on the restructure, ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes nearly all of Adams’ 2024 salary ($10.45MM) was converted into a signing bonus to create the immediate cap savings. While void years are now present, no changes have been made to the 2025 and ’26 salaries at this point. Further work to the pact – including the infusion of new guarantees – will no doubt be coming this offseason if Adams is to meet his goal of remaining in New York for years to come.

OCTOBER 15: The Raiders found a team willing to pay Davante Adams‘ full remaining salary. Undoubtedly lowering the trade price, the Jets are absorbing the $10.9MM left on the All-Pro receiver’s base salary this year. As was the case with the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Jets are making a change to give themselves more breathing room.

A restructure will take place, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who indicates the revised agreement will reduce Adams’ 2024 base salary. That number stood at $16.89MM coming into the season, but with six games passing, it dropped below $11MM. While the new number is not yet known, the Jets are pushing money into the future to help defray some of the immediate cost.

Base-to-bonus restructures and the introduction of void years can help cut cap numbers, and Rapoport adds the Jets appear likely to adjust the talented wide receiver’s deal for 2025 and ’26 (no void years are on Adams’ deal prior to this restructure). Void years will now be included, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who reports the Jets have dropped Adams’ cap number to $3.21MM by adding two void years. Adams’ deal still runs through 2026, but the voids technically push it through 2028.

Adams is due nonguaranteed $35.6MM and $36.6MM cap figures, respectively, over the next two seasons. Those lofty numbers are part of the five-year, $140MM extension Adams signed upon being traded to the Raiders. That fit did not end up panning out, and the Jets had long loomed as an interested party — dating back to their April 2023 Rodgers trade.

While negotiations had pushed a deal near completion Monday, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes the salary component represented the final hurdle. The Raiders’ insistence an acquiring team pick up the full tab had loomed as a key component in this trade, and while the AFC West team probably would have received more in terms of trade compensation by agreeing to pay part of Adams’ remaining 2024 salary, the organization stood pat and sent the full number to the Jets’ payroll. That will now be stretched beyond 2024.

This transaction will make it more difficult for the Jets to move on from Adams after this year. Previously, the Jets would have taken on no dead money from a 2025 separation. Though, they would have faced a near-impossible task in attempting to trade a contract featuring a $35.6MM 2025 base salary.

Although Rodgers has described the team as all in after this trade, he has indicated an openness to playing beyond 2024. Rodgers’ uncertain future in Green Bay affected Adams’ decision to pass on a 2022 Packers extension offer, leading to the tag-and-trade maneuver, and the 11th-year wideout also was linked to hesitancy regarding the Jets due to Rodgers’ cloudy post-2024 plans in New York. Though, it appears the parties are onboard. Adams being tied to the Jets through 2026 will assuredly factor into Rodgers’ retirement considerations this coming offseason.

As part of a summer 2023 restructure, a $35MM roster bonus would come Rodgers’ way if he decides to play again next season. The 2025 season would be Rodgers’ 21st should he decide to stick around. Of course, the Jets firing Robert Saleh and having Joe Douglas on a hot seat — though, it may not be as hot as we previously thought — complicates even Rodgers’ 2025 status. Of course, QB talent is quite hard to procure, so a new Jets regime — if that is the way ownership proceeds after this already-tumultuous season — would need to factor that into the decision as well.

For the first time since 2020, Rodgers and Adams are each under contract for multiple seasons together. The Jets will hope this deal can trigger a midseason turnaround, as they have now checked off the top box on the QB’s wish list.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/17/24

Thursday’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/24

Thursday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos 

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Watson could be claimed off waivers by any teams seeking backfield depth. If that does not take place, though, he will become a free agent. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports a mutual interest exists for team and player to reunite via a practice squad deal provided it is possible. Watson, an undrafted rookie, has made only one appearance to date so he should have a strong chance of passing through waivers unclaimed.

Davante Adams Hoping To Remain With Jets Beyond 2024

For the second time in three years, Davante Adams forced his way out of one NFL facility to play with a former quarterback.

In 2022, he left the Packers to catch passes from his former college quarterback, Derek Carr, in Las Vegas. The reunion was short-lived; Carr was ultimately cut and signed with the Saints in 2023, planting the seeds of Adams’ discontent with the Raiders that flowered into a full-blown trade request a few weeks ago.

Now, he’s a Jet, back with Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP’s most decorated receiver from his Packers days is now hopeful that his relationship with the team lasts beyond this season.

“That’s the plan,” Adams said regarding a post-2024 Jets future, via Around The NFL’s Nick Shook. “I never go somewhere in hopes of having to find a new home.”

The star receiver also confirmed that he picked his trade destination, saying he “essentially” told the Raiders that he wanted to end up in New York. The Saints and Steelers pursued the 11th-year receiver, with the Bills monitoring the situation. Buffalo ended up with Amari Cooper, while New Orleans and Pittsburgh are still looking for receiver help.

Adams has two years remaining on his contract, though the Jets restructured his deal and added two void years to lower his 2024 cap hit. That will make it harder for the Jets to jettison Adams down the road. The All-Pro wideout would cost the team $38.3MM against the salary cap in 2025 and 2026, though his $35.6MM (2025) and $36.6MM (2026) base salaries are not guaranteed. New York can afford him, but the whole team’s future is uncertain after a 2-4 start this season.

The Jets already fired head coach Robert Saleh, and the contract of general manager Joe Douglas expires after this season. Another failed season could inspire owner Woody Johnson to make even more leadership changes. The most unpredictable factor might be the mercurial Rodgers, who was the main driver behind Adams’ desire to get to New York. But Rodgers has openly mulled retirement multiple times in recent years; if he were to hang it up, Adams may not want to remain a Jet much longer.

Adams and the Jets agreed to discuss his future in New York after the 2024 season, where both sides will have much more information about their relative plans. That will make for an interesting component regarding Rodgers’ New York future as well. First, the Jets will need to orchestrate the turnaround they are hoping the Rodgers-Adams connection can produce.