Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of a presser.
We are still a few weeks from NFL training camps kicking off and it appears nothing has changed.
New York Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick skipped the entire voluntary and mandatory portion of the offseason to this point. The next pivot point comes when players are scheduled to report on July 23 with the first practice on July 24.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said in a column posted on Monday, July 1 that the “The Jets still are unlikely” to give Reddick a contract extension.
However, he did say that there could be an alternative provided in the form of guaranteeing part of his contract and “adding incentives.” Rosenblatt said the team could be motivated to do that to ensure that Reddick “isn’t a distraction once training camp begins.”
Jets Have Several Talented Youngsters in the D-Line Room
New York has invested heavily in the EDGE position on defense. The Jets traded back into the first round in 2022 to select Jermaine Johnson out of Florida State with the No. 26 overall pick.
During the 2023 NFL draft, the Jets stuck and picked another pass rusher in Will McDonald out of Iowa State with the No. 15 overall pick.
The organization and coaching staff have high hopes for both players heading into their years No. 3 and No. 2 respectively.
Johnson only appeared in 14 games during his rookie campaign but didn’t make a start. He was involved in 34% of the defensive snaps and showed flashes with 2.5 sacks. Then last year he made a sizable jump in playing time (66%) and the Jets were handsomely rewarded with a bump in production (7.5 sacks).
New York expects another leap in 2024. It’ll be another year in the system and the Jets expect to be playing with a lot more leads with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at the quarterback position.
Perhaps McDonald is on a similar career trajectory. He barely played during his rookie season (19% of the defensive snaps) but did flash (3 sacks).
With two key cogs on the defensive line exiting stage left this offseason (Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers), there should be plenty of pie available for McDonald to eat in 2024.
Reddick Provides Insurance on the Jets Defense
That was a bunch of word salad to say the Jets are hoping for a variety of things like players making jumps and others being healthy.
You don’t have to hope or project for Reddick. He is a proven veteran in the NFL. The Jets were working with a group that had upside to a player that has Defensive Player of the Year expectations.
Over the last four seasons, Reddick has notched a double-digit sack campaign. That is 50.5 sacks over that stretch of time for those counting at home.
Only one player had at least 10 sacks on the Jets last year and he left in free agency. That was Huff who notched a career-high with 10 and he ultimately landed on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reddick is one of the best players on the Jets roster and with that, an incredibly important piece to the Jets’ title hopes this season. Regardless of the solution, the Jets need to find a way to get Reddick in camp and prevent a distraction from affecting the vibe on the team heading into camp.
If the Jets don’t have Reddick ready to go for the season, New York will be forced to hope for a monster McDonald jump. That isn’t out of the realm of possibilities, but is that something the green and white want to go all in on? If it was they probably wouldn’t have traded for Reddick in the first place.