SATURDAY, 8:40am: Reddick has officially signed his adjusted one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The veteran pass rusher is expected to make his Jets debut tomorrow against the Patriots.
SUNDAY, 9:59pm: Cimini clarifies that Reddick is not guaranteed to receoup the money he lost in fines, as initial reports suggested. Instead, the incentives referenced in the prior reports will give Reddick the chance to earn that money back.
7:29am: Haason Reddick‘s holdout is over. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report, Reddick and the Jets have agreed to an adjusted contract, and the two-time Pro Bowler will report to the team tomorrow morning.
The new deal is not an extension; for the time being, Reddick is still out of contract at season’s end. However, according to Schefter, New York has agreed to “waive” over $12MM of fines that Reddick accumulated as a result of the holdout in order to convince the edge defender to report.
[RELATED: NFLPA Files Grievance Over Reddick’s Preseason Fines]
Of course, as Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post points out and as we have observed previously, the fines cannot technically be waived, since Reddick is not attached to a rookie contract. As such, it could be that the new agreement simply includes some mechanism — Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com suggests an increase in base pay — to cover the fines. Indeed, we heard just last week that, after the regular season got underway, the Jets had offered Reddick a reworked one-year deal that would have allowed him to recoup all of his fines while giving him the chance to earn more than the $14.25MM he was originally scheduled to make in 2024.
Despite optimism that the previous proposal would be enough to bring Reddick into the fold, the 30-year-old sack artist rejected it and continued his push for a multiyear accord. That decision, along with his decision to stage the holdout in the first place, was against the advice of his former agency, CAA, who dropped Reddick as a client earlier this month. Reddick subsequently hired Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha to help facilitate a resolution.
Although the Rosenhaus/Matha hiring led to renewed hope that player and team could achieve detente, the Jets remained adamant that they would not entertain a multiyear pact, and they also granted Reddick permission to seek a trade. Owner Woody Johnson, though, continued to express his desire to have Reddick play for Gang Green, and Schefter notes that Johnson was “very involved” in bringing this matter to a close. Peter Schrager of FOX Sports elaborates on that point, reporting that Rosenhaus flew in for the Jets’ contest against the Bills last week and had a lengthy conversation with Johnson prior to the game. Those conversations continued with GM Joe Douglas in the following days.
Now that Reddick — who was acquired via trade with Philadelphia this offseason — has finally agreed to join his new teammates, perhaps Douglas & Co. will be more amenable to an extension, with Rosenhaus himself stating this morning that he will continue to work towards that goal. As it stands, Reddick has not received any new money and has simply agreed to play out the remainder of the season for the $9.5MM that he was already due to earn on his Eagles-constructed deal (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). As noted above, Reddick was due to make $14.25MM in 2024, but his holdout has led to lost game checks, and while the Jets are prepared to cover the fines in some way, they are apparently not reimbursing him for the lost salary upfront; as Albert Breer of SI.com reports, Reddick can recover that money (and then some) via sack-based incentives, playing time, honors, and team-based incentives.
The Jets may be 2-4, but they recently acquired WR Davante Adams via trade and clearly believe they can make a postseason run. New York’s defense has generally played up to expectations, as that unit presently ranks second in yards per game and seventh in points per game. The team’s 20 sacks are the third-highest total in the league, and Reddick — who has posted double-digit sacks totals in four consecutive years — can certainly help maintain that production. His presence will help to offset the loss of third-year pro Jermaine Johnson, who sustained a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2.
According to Cimini, Reddick could suit up for New York’s bout with the Patriots next week, although that will naturally depend on his conditioning. More clarity on that front will emerge when Reddick starts to practice.
As Schefter notes, Reddick is the first player in a decade to hold out beyond Week 1 of the regular season and then receive an adjusted contract.
