Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of a press conference.
The New York Jets might have a potential contract holdout situation to monitor as we progress through the 2024 offseason.
Veteran pass rusher Haason Reddick has skipped voluntary OTAs so far this offseason. Rich Cimini of ESPN said, “Perhaps not coincidentally” he is heading into the final year of his contract.
Reddick signed a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for $45 million. Heading into 2024, he is in the last year of the deal that pays him $14.5 million in cash. Regarding any potential contract extension chatter, Cimini said it has been “quiet on that front.”
What the Level of Concern Should Be at This Point
So far this offseason Reddick has simply exercised his right to not be at NFL workouts that are completely voluntary. He doesn’t have to be at the Jets facilities if he doesn’t want to be.
However, a pivot point is coming up later this month.
Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News told Connor Long of NY Flight Jets Talk on Sunday, June 2, “I know he hasn’t been at OTAs, at least not yet. It’s optional. That’s what I tell people, you don’t have to show up, but it’s good if you do. I’m going to be interested to see if he shows up for mandatory minicamp which would be next week. If he doesn’t then you kind of know that a lot of this could be contract-related as to the reason he’s absent.”
The Jets have another week of OTAs scheduled this week (June 3, 4, 6, and 7) before the mandatory minicamp next week (June 11-13).
Back during his introductory press conference in April, Reddick said “all options are open” as it pertains to his contract situation.
“Contractual stuff I’m leaving up to my agent and Joe [Douglas] to figure out. Whatever happens I’m going to be happy and I’m going to give my all no matter what. That’s just who I am as a person. So 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,” Reddick explained.
‘All options are open,’ Haason Reddick told the media when asked about his contract situation.
The new #Jets DL said he’ll leave it to his agent & Joe Douglas to figure out. He said either way, whether he plays out his contract year or gets a new extension, ‘I’m going to give…
Reddick’s Contract Demands Shouldn’t Come as a Surprise
Have you asked yourself this offseason why the Eagles would trade a 29-year-old pass rusher in his prime or close to it to the Jets when they fancy themselves a contender?
It ultimately comes down to the number.
“He outperformed his contract. … He just wanted market value. He just wanted the numbers that made sense, which he didn’t get,” Reddick’s father, Raymond Matthew told Tim McManus of ESPN.
Instead of negotiating a new deal for Reddick, the Eagles traded him away and let another team deal with those issues.
Reddick’s father said his son is seeking “market value” which could prove to be a costly number. The former Temple product has put up 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons. That is the No. 4 best figure in the NFL over that span of time.
Reddick is the No. 17 highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL with a $15 million annual salary, per Over The Cap. The average salary of the top five highest-paid pass rushers in the league is $28.6 million.
If that is what Reddick is seeking, based on his statistical production, that would nearly double his current salary.
The Jets have two choices: let him play out the final year of his deal and hope he doesn’t hold out. Or pay the iron price right now to keep him in green and white for the next few years.