The New York Jets are amid one of the worst seasons in team history. One of the reasons for that is because of a deal they made during the offseason to acquire what they thought would be a game-changing piece but it has been anything but.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on Sunday, December 29 that veteran Haason Reddick “is the only edge player in the league without a full sack (minimum 175 pass rushes), per Next Gen Stats.”
Those qualifications include 90 edge players in the NFL, per Cimini. He then called the trade for Reddick “one of the worst in team history.”
Reddick has appeared in eight games this season and has made one start. Since joining the team, Reddick has played in 56% of the defensive snaps. With those opportunities, Reddick has half a sack and two quarterback hits.
Reddick has a 53.0 pass rush grade this season which ranks No. 172 out of 206 edge players, per Pro Football Focus.
Reddick Deal Was a Complete Flop
On April 1 the Philadelphia Eagles traded Reddick to the Jets in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that could become a second-round pick if Reddick played in at least 67.5% of the snaps and recorded at least 10 sacks.
The sack production on the surface appeared to be a lofty goal. However, Reddick was one of the best sack artists in the league before being traded to the Jets.
From 2020 through 2023, Reddick recorded at least 11 sacks across four straight seasons. The Jets considered him one of the last pieces to a championship puzzle. The reason the Eagles put Reddick on the trade block in the first place is because he wanted his contract adjusted.
He only had one year left on his $45 million contract this past offseason. Reddick’s annual salary of $15 million wasn’t commensurate to his recent production or standing in the league as one of the top pass rushers. The Eagles refused to adjust his tab so Reddick wanted to go to a team that would.
There was a miscommunication between Reddick’s camp and the Jets on how or when they would potentially address that. This created a circus-like atmosphere with Reddick taking his physical to complete the trade and meeting with the local media but then he went MIA for months.
Reddick skipped OTAs, mandatory minicamp, training camp, and the first half of the 2024 season.
Halfway through the season, the Jets bent the knee to allow Reddick to return to the team by adjusting his contract. Reddick was a complete non-factor in the first half of the season when he wasn’t here and he has continued to be a non-factor on the football field.
Reddick Trade Had Massive Ripple Effects on The Jets
The Reddick deal has been a complete flop on and off the field. However, there is one additional layer to the deal that makes everything worse.
General manager Joe Douglas admitted that when they traded for Reddick they couldn’t financially afford veteran John Franklin-Myers any longer.
During draft weekend in April, the Jets flipped JFM for a 2026 sixth-round draft choice.
Franklin-Myers was a leader on the team and a key cog in the defensive line rotation. While Reddick has been terrible this season, JFM is in the middle of a career year.
He has six sacks which is tied for a career-high and he has 16 quarterback hits. Those are the most QB hits he has had in a single season since 2022.
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Jets Get Trashed For One of The ‘Worst’ Trades in Team History