Without a revised contract, former Eagles pass rusher Rusher was never going to return.
The fact that Haason Reddick is not playing for the New York Jets this spring says a lot.
PHILADELPHIA: The veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick was traded to the New York Jets for a 2026 third-round pick, which may become a second-round pick if Reddick meets certain expectations for the Jets this season. Reddick’s production has been much missed in Philadelphia.
Few would argue that Reddick outperformed that contract. Reddick, who is set to enter the last season of a three-year, $45 million deal, returned to the Delaware Valley prior to the 2022 season. Reddick is from Camden, New Jersey, and attended Temple University in Philadelphia.
His true strength came after the 2022 season, when he recorded 19 ½ sacks in 20 games leading up to Super Bowl LVII. Reddick disrupted the NFC Championship Game by taking 49ers quarterbacks Josh Johnson and Brock Purdy out of the contest. He was voted a second-team All-Pro that season.
The next season, Reddick reported to training camp nursing a soft-tissue injury, which some took to be the beginning of a hold-out for a significantly revised contract adjustment.
It turns out that Reddick injured his right thumb ligament and needed surgery, but he was back to practicing soon after. Although he was recovered by the beginning of the regular season, his poor start was partly caused by playing with a cast.
In the end, Reddick appeared in all 18 games up until the playoff loss in Tampa, finishing with 11 sacks. Just two NFL players—him included—have accumulated 10 or more sacks in four straight seasons.
As the defense began to collapse in the final moments, there was speculation that Reddick and other members of the Eagles defensive line were pursuing sacks and freelancing a bit too much.
There is a rumor circulating the league that Reddick requested $20 million to $25 million in an adjusted agreement, and the Eagles allowed him to pursue a trade afterwards, even though the player did not make a request.
The decision to cut Reddick came when Bryce Huff—who the Eagles considered to be an emerging pass rusher—was signed to a three-year, $51.1M contract in free agency and Philadelphia negotiated a reduced contract for Josh Sweat.
When a query concerning the Reddick trade was answered in a way that only considered Reddick as a potential future choice, general manager Howie Roseman seemed a little irritated.
The general manager remarked, “I think you are asking a question in a vacuum without all the other factors.” Thus, we are able to discuss all the elements that go into assembling the team and the resources assigned to each role.
“However, I don’t believe the question fairly and accurately characterizes the transaction.”
There is never a void.
The decision-making process took into account a variety of factors, including youth, shelf life, contracts, and internal projections for both Huff and second-year player Nolan Smith.
In an effort to add a kicker to his deal, Reddick, who turns 30 in September, has refrained from participating in voluntary offseason practice with the Jets. This week is New York’s required minicamp, but Reddick wasn’t discussing his attendance when he made an appearance over the weekend at a family fun day in his birthplace of Camden, New Jersey.
When it comes to the Reddick trade, player performance will ultimately be the deciding factor, but those who thought the veteran would have finished the last year of his contract with the Eagles amicably were always misinformed.
