FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets wanted Haason Reddick for his skills as a pass rusher. The 29-year-old is just not in a rush to do it for them yet.
Reddick held out from voluntary workouts this spring and then skipped mandatory minicamp this week as he seeks a raise on his current contract. It’s a suboptimal start to his Jets career — especially since the team was under the impression he intended to participate in the offseason program.
Here’s everything to know about why Reddick is disgruntled, the contract he wants and what happens next:
Timeline
In February, Reddick — after making it clear he wanted a new deal — was given permission by the Philadelphia Eagles to pursue a trade. The Jets were involved early in the process. The Jets let edge rusher Bryce Huff hit free agency, where he eventually signed a three-year, $51.1 million deal with the Eagles.
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On April 1, the Eagles traded Reddick to the Jets for a conditional third-round pick in 2026. It will become a second-rounder if Reddick plays 67.5 percent of the snaps this season and has 10 or more sacks.
That day, Reddick met with Jets media and was asked about his desire for a new contract. “All options are open,” Reddick said. “Right now I’m just worried about being here, meeting everybody. … But whatever happens, I’m going to be happy, I’m going to give my all no matter what because that’s just who I am as a person. No matter how it goes, how many years, I’m going to be here for however long I’m here for and I’m going to give the team, the fans, everything that I have.”
He also said this about how things ended in Philadelphia: “It’s a business and sometimes hard decisions gotta be made even if you don’t like them.”
The Jets’ offseason program began on May 20 and Reddick wasn’t in attendance. He didn’t report for any of the Jets’ OTA sessions, which ran until June 6.
On June 4, Jets coach Robert Saleh said that Reddick hadn’t reported at all since his initial introduction, that he didn’t know why and that he expected Reddick to be in attendance at this week’s minicamp.
On June 8, Reddick, wearing Jets gear, declined an interview request by a reporter from the New York Post at a community event in Camden, N.J.
On June 10, Reddick didn’t report for the team’s photoshoot for “media day.” The rest of his teammates — including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who skipped minicamp for different reasons — were in attendance.
At some point before the start of practice on June 11, Saleh spoke with Reddick for the first time since their initial conversation after the trade was conducted. Saleh said he initiated the conversation.
Jets training camp is expected to begin on July 23 and it’s unclear if Reddick plans to attend. He has yet to indicate his intentions to the Jets organization, though Saleh said he anticipates Reddick being there.
“I’m not (concerned),” Saleh said. “I understand everything that’s happening. I know that when it’s time to play football, he’s going to be ready to play football.”
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The contract — and context
Reddick was coming off a one-year prove-it deal with the Panthers in 2021 — he had 11 sacks for Carolina that year — when he signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Eagles as a free agent, including $30 million guaranteed. He quickly outplayed that contract.
In 2022, Reddick had 16 sacks, a league-high five forced fumbles, was selected All-Pro and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He followed that up with 11 sacks in 2023 and a second straight Pro Bowl selection. Reddick’s 27 sacks in those two years rank fourth behind only Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons.
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Reddick is set to earn a $14.25 million salary in 2024. He originally had a $15 million cap hit, though that should bump down to $14.75 million since Reddick eschewed a $250,000 workout bonus by missing voluntary OTAs. He’ll also be fined around $50,000 for skipping minicamp. That cap hit ranks him 20th among edge rushers for 2024.
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The Jets’ perspective
When the Jets acquired Reddick, they did not intend to redo his deal, at least initially. The expectation by many was that Reddick would play out this season on his current contract.
Reddick initially told multiple people in the Jets building that he intended to report for the offseason program, but didn’t communicate with anyone in the organization prior to skipping the workouts. Saleh seemed a little more perturbed with his absence when asked about it last week, though his tone changed on Tuesday. Saleh pointed out that many Jets defensive linemen — including defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, defensive end Jermaine Johnson and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams — skipped much of the voluntary portion of the offseason program.
“To be honest with you, the expectation for all of our guys is to be part of it. It is voluntary. While there’s an expectation it’s also kind of a hope,” Saleh said. “Missing the offseason program as a D-lineman, it’s almost a benefit. I don’t want to downplay it because I want them here but I understand why they opted to get work elsewhere because they feel like it’d be more productive for them.”
Reddick was granted permission to seek a trade from the Eagles after they made it clear they wouldn’t be giving him the raise he was seeking — believed to be in the $25 million to $30 million per season range. That $25 million figure would tie him with Garrett for the fifth-highest average per year. Bosa leads the NFL with a $34 million average. No other edge rusher averages $30 million.
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It would be mildly surprising if the Jets give him a raise that significant, especially considering his age. Reddick turns 30 in September and Jets general manager Joe Douglas doesn’t typically give extensions to players 29 and older, or those acquired in trades. The only one: Tight end Ryan Griffin, who was 29 when he signed a three-year, $9.6 million extension in 2019. Douglas cut his teeth working as the No. 2 under Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who has long held a similar philosophy about paying 30-year-old players — especially if he doesn’t consider them a cornerstone. It’s unclear how the Jets view Reddick’s future, though they do have 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald waiting in the wings at edge rusher, with Johnson — a 2022 first-round pick — under contract through 2026, assuming the Jets exercise his fifth-year option.
Cap situation — and a possible solution
This is the biggest reason Douglas would relent and give Reddick a significant raise or long-term, big money extension.
Douglas admitted the Jets were forced to trade veteran defensive end John Franklin-Myers because they couldn’t afford to keep him after acquiring Reddick. Presently, the Jets possess only $6.18 million in salary-cap space, a number that’s already too low for a team that will need space for operating costs — injury replacements, free agent signings, practice squad call-ups and trades — for the season.
One possible solution would be adding incentives to Reddick’s contract and/or completely guaranteeing his $14.25 million salary, which currently is non-guaranteed. The first part — incentives — is something Douglas went heavy on in free agency this offseason to counteract the cap situation. Specifically, Douglas signed offensive tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams to incentive-laden deals, a necessity for players who didn’t find major markets in free agency and both coming off injuries.
Recently, Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton ended a contract holdout once general manager Joe Schoen added incentives worth $650,000 to his contract. It’s unclear if incentives — instead of an entirely new deal — is something either the Jets or Reddick would be interested in.
What’s next
Reddick won’t have to answer for his intentions until the start of training camp — especially since it doesn’t seem like the Jets are in any rush to give him a new deal.
(Top photo: Ryan Kang / Getty Images)
