Haason Reddick's reckless holdout costly to himself and Jets
Haason Reddick leaves the field after a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Haason Reddick presumably has his reasons, and presumably he will reveal them publicly one day.
Meanwhile, those of us for whom subtracting hundreds of thousands of dollars from our weekly paycheck would unbalance the family budget are left to wonder:
What the heck is this guy thinking?
Look, it generally is a bad idea to count another person’s money — or in this case to un-count another person’s money.
But the (not-quite-yet) Jet has strained the limits of giving a fellow human the benefit of the doubt, especially when said human could help one’s football team.
And yet, here we are.
The Jets opened their 2024 season on Monday night against the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, and Reddick was not among them.
The talented pass rusher has been holding out since . . . well, forever, from a Jets perspective.
Most people figured that he would cave by now as his bank account continues to go in the wrong direction, and yet he persists.
For those of you who only pay attention to NFL details between the opener and the Super Bowl, the Jets traded with the Eagles for Reddick in early spring.
The cost was a conditional 2026 third-round draft pick, and the idea was for him to replace Bryce Huff, a talented young pass rusher who left for . . . the Eagles. The Jets also traded lineman John Franklin-Myers to the Broncos as part of their salary cap calculus after adding Reddick.
The assumption was that any ensuing contractual complications had been worked out or at least discussed. Then Reddick did not show up. Ever.
Reddick asked for a new deal, and eventually for a trade. The Jets have declined to do either, at least not until Reddick appears in the flesh.
So he is bleeding money, first from minicamp and training camp fines that total about $5 million and now from his Week 1 paycheck of nearly $800,000.
His alternative would have been to show up, record double digits sacks — as he has for the past four seasons — improve an already strong defense, then get paid. (Paid more, that is. He already was set to make $14.25 million this season.)
Reddick turns 30 on Sept. 22, which presumably and understandably is why he feels urgency to get one last, big contract. But going about it this way is tricky business.
The Jets mostly have been supportive publicly.
Saturday, coach Robert Saleh said, “Everyone goes through their own process. I’ll stand firm that when he gets here, we’re going to welcome him with open arms.
“We’re going to love him up, and he is going to be a part of this football team and help us win a lot of football games.”
But this kind of thing only goes so far, and players can only be expected to remain patient for so long — especially with a guy they have not yet gotten to know.
“Him not being here is not going to cost us a game,” defensive captain C.J. Mosley told Newsday on Saturday. “We’re just going to ride with what we’ve had this whole offseason up to now.
“Nothing is going to change our mindset. He’s not here, so there is not much you can do about it.”
The 49ers spent the week reintegrating receiver Brandon Aiyuk and offensive tackle Trent Williams after both signed extensions after skipping most of camp. But there was no Reddick sighting in Florham Park.
“We’d love to have [Reddick] because we know how good of a player he is,” cornerback Sauce Gardner told Newsday. “The Niners, obviously, they had people holding out. They ain’t holding out no more. They’re playing now.”
In the early stages of this drama, most of the negative publicity landed in the Jets’ lap. Many wondered why they did not see this coming when they made the trade.
Now most of the focus has shifted to Reddick’s reckless stance.
The Jets would be his fourth team in five years, which is not the kind of thing that inspires confidence about a long, happy run here.
But the Jets do not need a particularly long run from him. They have quarterback Aaron Rodgers for another couple of seasons, if all goes well, and have no time to waste.
They are in win-now mode.
Reddick could help them win now.
Now is the time to do that.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.