Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
One of the NFL’s most underpaid players is holding out, and it’s understandable.
Haason Reddick has officially requested a trade just four months after the Jets acquired him in a trade with the Eagles. One of the league’s most talented pass rushers, Reddick is refusing to play the final year of a contract he signed with the Eagles in 2022.
What we have right now is a total mess. A back-and-forth between agent and team, each of whom are claiming their own version of events either directly, or through surrogates. Reddick’s camp is saying the Jets were aware he wouldn’t play under his current contract when they traded for him, while the Jets are resolute that Reddick’s camp said he would play under his deal, and they’re not willing to trade him now.
Inside of this saber rattling there are a few incontrovertible truths about Reddick’s situation.
Haason Reddick has been one of the most underpaid players in the NFL based on his production
Selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Reddick’s career has had two consistencies: He’s been an exceptionally good player, and he’s never been paid well.
Reddick has amassed 58.0 sacks over the span of his eight year career. He’s registered double-digit sacks for each of the last four seasons, was a second team All-Pro in 2022, and has been named to two Pro Bowls. The reward for all this is career earnings of $51M.
By comparison Jonathan Allen of the Commanders, a good but significantly inferior pass rusher to Reddick was selected four picks after Reddick, and yet his career earnings are $61M despite having 19 fewer sacks, fewer tackles, and never making an All-Pro team.
A big part of this reason is that Reddick has been unfairly saddled with needing to “prove it” again, and again, and again. Selected at the tail end of the Bruce Arians era in Arizona, inconsistency in coaching caused Reddick to have a slow start to his career. The genius braintrust of GM Steve Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t see Reddick’s potential, and chose not to pick up his 5th year option prior to the start of the 2020 season.
Reddick played, and started knowing he’d be a free agent in 2021, going on to have a massive season. He finished with 12.5 sacks, and a career-high six forced fumbles. It seemed as though Reddick had cashed his cheque for a huge future in the league.
Then free agency opened … and crickets. Despite the mammoth production, teams were wary of signing Reddick to top-tier pass rusher money, concerned his season in Arizona was the exception and not the rule.
Left without many options, Reddick decided to try and bank of himself again, accepting a one year “prove it” deal with the Carolina Panthers for a paltry $6M. It wasn’t near what he was worth, but playing for the hapless Panthers ensured he would be able to start, and with head coach Matt Rhule (Reddick’s coach at Temple), he at least has familiarity with the organization.
Reddick killed it again. In his lone season in Carolina he finished with 11.0 sacks and added two more forced fumbles. Proving it wasn’t a fluke Reddick was ready to enter free agency again, this time with a better resume that was sure to guarantee he was paid what he was worth — or so he thought.
Up to this point there’s no doubt that Reddick had been done dirty by the NFL. However, his contract in 2022 free agency was an abject failure by his representation. Signing on March 14 with the Eagles, Reddick was given a 3 year, $45M deal by Philadelphia. The money felt low for a double-digit pass rusher in his mid-20s, but how low this deal was quickly became apparent when other players around the league began signing.
Reddick was the first elite rusher to sign. It ended up being a horrific contract in light of everyone else.
Von Miller (33): 6 years, $120M ($20M per)
Chandler Jones (32): 3 years, $51M ($17M per)
Randy Gregory (29): 5 years, $70M ($14M per)
Reddick neither got a long-term deal, nor did he get big money. Von Miller is on another level, but at the time he was better than Chandler Jones or Randy Gregory, but got a significantly worse deal — despite being 27 at the time of free agency, and in his prime.
What the Jets are saying just doesn’t make sense
It was widely known that Reddick wasn’t happy with his contract. In fact, the reason the Eagles traded Reddick is because they knew he didn’t plan to report without a new deal. However, the Jets are trying to sell this idea that Reddick was perfectly happy to play for them for the $14.25M remaining on his contract.
So let’s get this straight: Reddick wasn’t happy with his contract playing for a perennial playoff team in Philadelphia, but he was fine playing under that deal with the Jets? Furthermore, the idea that the Jets won’t cater a player who hasn’t played a down for them is rich considering the hilarious lengths the team went to in order to appease Aaron Rodgers before he ever stepped on the field for them.
If the Jets didn’t plan to give Reddick a pay raise then they never should have traded for him. What they’re attempting to do is paint Reddick at the bad guy, putting fan pressure on him during a time of anticipation and branding him as a malcontent who won’t help the team. If they’re not willing to work out a deal, or if the sides can’t come to an agreement, then they should trade him to someone who is willing to pay him.
The Jets aren’t willing to do that though. It seems (at least right now) that they’re willing to have him sit out all year, fine him, and retain his rights. This seems like more a likelihood considering the low investment they made to trade for him, and the fact his contract is so low it won’t break them.
Unfortunately this is just another chapter in the story of a guy who has never gotten what he deserves in terms of money. Reddick is still one of the best pass rushers in the league, and would greatly benefit a team — whether that’s the Jets, or someone else.
