The Jets took to the practice field just before noon on Saturday to engage in their final preparations before Monday’s season opener with the 49ers.
There was not much notable about who was on the field. What was more notable was who was not.
Haason Reddick continued to stay away despite a new story on Friday night that he was about to report. It has now been five months since the Jets traded a 2026 conditional third-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for the pass rusher. It also has been five months since the Jets have seen Reddick.
This has become the most absurd holdout in memory.
Reddick is asking for a raise from a team he has not played for — heck, that he has not even practiced for. He has no leverage. The Jets have been clear in their actions and (as far as we know) their words that they are not going to give him the contract extension he is seeking.
The smart play here is for Reddick to show up and ball out. The Jets look like they are going to have a good team and almost certainly a good defense. Playing on a defense alongside Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Sauce Gardner, C.J. Mosley, Quincy Williams and D.J. Reed should help Reddick do his job at a high level.
Let’s say Reddick comes to the Jets and gets 12.5 sacks this season, which is what he’s averaged for the last four years. Guess what happens next? Reddick gets paid.
The Jets and general manager Joe Douglas would be under immense pressure to re-sign him. If they did not pay him, another team that needs a pass rusher surely would.
“He’s got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said on Saturday. “I said it when I first got hired, our job is to help these guys make money.”
But he can’t help Reddick make money if he is sitting at home.
Right now, Reddick is just losing money. He was scheduled to make $14.25 million this season in the final year of the three-year contract he signed with the Eagles. His fines have already reached around $5 million for the time he has missed this spring and summer. Starting Monday, he is going to start losing game checks, which are about $800,000 each.
These fines can’t be rescinded under the CBA because Reddick is a veteran. He is not going to be able to make this money back even if the Jets did add some incentives to this year’s deal.
It is hard to figure out what the endgame is here for Reddick. He requested a trade last month, but that felt like just the next step in the negotiating playbook for his agent. What team is going to trade for Reddick, who turns 30 on Sept. 22 and has demanded a trade from two teams in the last seven months?
If he sits out the entire season, his contract tolls and he is still under the Jets control in 2025.
The smart move would be for Reddick to show up, play and make everyone see he deserves a payday in free agency. All he has to do is look at Juan Soto and what he has done this season for the Yankees to realize just how high you can push your value with a good walk year under the bright lights of the New York stage.
The Jets have not put pressure on Reddick yet. Even on Saturday, when Saleh finally conceded that Reddick won’t play Monday, the coach struck a conciliatory tone.
“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,” Saleh said. “He’s going to be a part of this football team and he’s going to help us win a lot of football games.”
We’re a long way from the days of Bill Parcells.
Saleh and Douglas have been careful not to criticize Reddick or his agent, Tory Dandy, but at some point they need to pull out the Mike Tomlin line about wanting volunteers and not hostages.
The Jets are about to take the field Monday night to begin one of the most anticipated seasons in their history. Aaron Rodgers will be throwing to Garrett Wilson. Tyron Smith will be blocking for Breece Hall. Sauce Gardner will be covering Brandon Aiyuk. Quinnen Williams will be chasing Christian McCaffrey.
Maybe Reddick will be watching on TV and he’ll realize just what he’s missing.
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