The New York Jets’ response to Haason Reddick’s trade request immediately backfired. No one is in Jets general manager Joe Douglas’ corner on Monday afternoon.
The Philadelphia Eagles wanted to avoid paying Reddick this offseason after the 29-year-old defensive end gave them 27 sacks in the previous two seasons. So they traded Reddick to the New York Jets for a third-round conditional pick this spring.
The Jets front office broke the one rule NFL teams don’t make when they trade for players wanting more money on the final year of their contract–they didn’t have a deal in place with Reddick before he arrived.
Reddick responded by skipping OTAs and the start of training camp. On Monday, he asked for a trade.
The New York Jets sent a strong message to Haason Reddick
As previously discussed on GH, Douglas responded by threatening Reddick financially:
“We have informed Haason that we will not trade him, that he is expected to be here with his teammates, and that he will continue to be fined per the CBA if he does not report. Since the trade discussions back in March we have been clear, direct and consistent with our position. Our focus will remain on the guys we have here as we prepare for the regular season.”
Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh have a lot riding on this season. They’re not in a great position to watch a starting defensive end begin the season holding out. The Jets need to take advantage of having Aaron Rodgers on the roster this year to make a deep playoff push. A season-long holdout by Reddick isn’t an option for the Jets.
Who has more leverage?
It’s not really an option for Reddick to sit out for the entire season. Per Zack Rosenblatt with The Athletic, the Jets would retain the rights to Reddick’s contract if he holds out past Week 6 of the regular season:
If Reddick’s absence extends into the regular season, he’d start losing game checks. If it goes deep into the season, his contract would toll to 2025 and they’d maintain his rights next year, keeping him from free agency and stuck with the Jets until they release or trade him on their own accord. But that’s the worst case scenario.
But Reddick’s absence for a third of the regular season can damage the Jets’ postseason hopes. He has no incentive to return before then, and the Jets might be forced to give Reddick what he wants if the defensive line starts to accumulate injuries early in the season.
Put it this way, what incentive does Reddick have to risk an injury before Week 6?
Not many people are in Joe Douglas’ corner
Jet Fan Fest Took Place At The 2022 New York Jets Training Camp In Florham Park Nj On July 30 2022
Mike Florio with Pro Football Talk pointed out the Jets’ blunder on X. One commenter had the perfect meme for the front office.
The Jets pic.twitter.com/5vlM8L3PKV
— Chris Jackson (@ChrisCJackson) August 12, 2024
Nick Wright with Fox’s “First Things First” had a more blunt message:
“I am not saying the people who are running the Jets don’t know what they’re doing. What I am saying is they make a lot of the decisions that people who don’t know what they’re doing would make.”
Jets fans are making similar comments on social media.
The Jets could have taken the high road by letting this play out without throwing Reddick under the bus. The same player they should have made a deal with earlier in the offseason before they finalized their trade with the Eagles.
But that might have made too much sense.
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