Haason Reddick Holdout Saga Shows Jets Still Don't Have Their Act Together

The New York Jets would have you believe they're about to embark on a Super Bowl chase during the 2024 NFL season. But when players reported to training camp early Tuesday, we saw why this is just a dream.

Because Super Bowl winners don't usually handle stuff this poorly.

The Jets spent part of the morning sharing photos of players reporting for the first day of work. You know who they didn't share in a photo? Edge rusher Haason Reddick.

Apr 4, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Jets linebacker Haason Reddick sits court side during the fourth quarter between the New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Haason Reddick Faces Fines

That's because Reddick, perhaps the team's biggest offseason acquisition on defense, is planning to hold out at the start of training camp as part of a contract dispute, per multiple reports and a source confirming the news to OutKick.

Reddick can be fined $50,000 for each day he misses and that cannot be rescinded or revoked. 

And all this makes the Jets look kind of inept. Why?

Because they had a long time to do homework on Reddick. Even before they traded for him from the Philadelphia Eagles.

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But either because of haughtiness or incompetence, they seemingly followed one mistake with another by acquiring Reddick when they didn't have to, and then not addressing his most pressing issue in time for camp.

So the holdout was almost predictable. 

Let's go through this so it becomes clear:

The Jets acquired Reddick on April 1 (appropriately, it seems now) for a conditional third-round pick way off in 2026. 

Reddick, by the way, is a very productive edge rusher. He's collected double-digit sacks each of the past four seasons for a total of 50 ½ sacks in that time.

Haasan Reddick not happy with Brian Balldinger. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Handling Of Reddick Seems Odd

But something is, well, off. Because Reddick has played for three teams in those four years and the Eagles decided they didn't want to keep him at age 29 because he would be entering his final contract year in 2024.

So the Jets took him at a $15 million cap charge for one year. It was basically a rental unless they fully intended to extend Reddick's deal. 

So which part of all this is sketchy?

The Jets let Bryce Huff, whom they developed into a double-digit sack guy, walk in free agency. Huff went to, you guessed it, the Eagles. 

So the Eagles added a 26-year-old pass rusher instead of extending the contract of a 29-year-old and got a future draft pick in the exchange.

The Jets, on the other hand, so far got a contract holdout in the exchange.

The Jets seemingly had long-term plans for Reddick because aside from losing Huff, they also jettisoned defensive end John Franklin-Myers in a trade to Denver.

Mar 14, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Bryce Huff speaks during a press conference after signing with the team. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Jets Could Have Kept Bryce Huff

The thing is the Jets knew – or should have known – Reddick wanted a new deal before trading for him. And despite this, they pulled the trigger anyway.

So they lost a somewhat comparable younger player for an older player that they have control over for only one year. And that older player is said to want more money than what Huff got from the Eagles, per a league source.

Thus, this holdout.

Reddick has not reported to the Jets at all this offseason. He didn't participate in offseason conditioning. He didn't participate in OTAs. He didn't attend mandatory minicamp.

And now he's not showing up for training camp.

It's a bad look.

But it's a bad look only because the Jets could have prevented all this either by keeping Huff, or not trading for Reddick, or knowing about and addressing Reddick's contract issues before or immediately after the trade.

The Jets did none of those.

So the story on the first day Jets players are reporting to camp is about the player who is absent.

That's not the way a team scripts the start of what is supposed to be a Super Bowl season.