The New York Jets and Haason Reddick are locked into what has become a relatively ugly situation.
After being traded to the Jets by the Philadelphia Eagles, the two sides reportedly had an agreement on how to proceed into the future.
Unfortunately, when New York moved on from two other edge rushers, Reddick realized that he had more leverage to pursue a large contract extension.
Basically, Reddick ended up lying to the Jets and back-tracked on his word following the trade.
Despite things getting tough between the two parties, it is expected that they will be able to work the issues out. New York wants Reddick in town and it has sounded like the veteran pass-rusher likes what the Jets are doing as well.
Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer has dropped his prediction for the outcome of the situation between New York and Reddick.
“I’d guess they’ll put together an incentive package as a Band-Aid, and tie that to sacks and playing time. If [Danielle] Hunter’s contract is the bar for an extension, with Reddick turning 30 in September, I can’t imagine it’d be anything more than that.”
Breaking down that answer brings up two questions.
First and foremost, would Reddick be interested in accepting a contract that is heavily incentive based?
He seems to be targeting guaranteed money.
Second, what kind of contract length would be required?
A long-term deal is what Reddick wants, and if the Jets offer him a short-term deal with heavy incentives, that could make the situation worse.
While there is still optimism that the two sides will be able to figure things out, there is a lot of work to do. Perhaps, the team could do the deal above and figure it out for one year. Then, the two sides could try to work out a long-term deal after the 2024 season.
In 2023 with the Eagles, Reddick showcased his talent as one of the more lethal pass-rushers in the NFL. He racked up 38 total tackles to go along with 11 sacks, a forced fumble, and a defended pass.
There is no question that New York needs to find a way to have Reddick on the field. After losing both Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Meyers, the Jets don’t have many good pass-rushing options on the roster.
All that can be done now is to try to find some kind of common ground.
In the meantime, fans will be left in suspense as the two parties work together to find a resolution.