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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the NFL’s hottest teams to start the 2024 NFL regular season in spite of lacking star power at one very important position — edge rusher.
That could all change in a single move by trading for disgruntled New York Jets outside linebacker Haason Reddick. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has Reddick at No. 1 on his list of NFL players on the trading block headed into Week 3 of the NFL season.
“While Reddick would likely demand a new contract before agreeing to any trade, he should still have value if made available,” Knox wrote. “The 29-year-old recorded double-digit sacks in each of the past four seasons and amassed 27 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures over the past two.
“While the Buccaneers only have $12.3 million in cap space available, pursuing Reddick would be a sensible move. Tampa appears to be on the verge of being a legitimate NFC threat, and adding a premier pass-rusher could help spark a deep postseason run.”
The Buccaneers are off to a 2-0 start but only have 2 sacks through their first 2 games. Last year’s team leader in sacks, outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, missed almost all of the preseason with a high ankle sprain and has yet to record a sack in 2024.
Reddick Wants Money Similar to NFL’s Best OLBs
Reddick, understandably, wants to be paid like one of the NFL’s best edge rushers, which he thought he was going to be when the was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Jets in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in April 2024.
Reddick is in the final season of a 3-year, $45 million deal he signed with the Eagles in 2022. Since he signed his last contract, Reddick has had 27.0 sacks, earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2022 and back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2022 and 2023.
According to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, the Eagles weren’t willing to give Reddick the $25 million per year he wanted and the Jets were led to believe he would report without a deal in place and play the final yea of his current deal.
“The Jets did offer Reddick an extension prior to the trade, but it was below market value and Reddick rejected it,” Rosenblatt wrote.
The last 4 seasons, Reddick has been one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers. He has 50.5 sacks in that stretch, including at least 11.0 sacks each season and a career-high 16.0 sacks in 2022, along with leading the NFL with 5 forced fumbles.
Buccaneers Need to Put Pressure on Quarterbacks
While the Buccaneers have continued to draft edge rushers year after year, very few of them have worked out recently. While Diaby led the team with 7.5 sacks in 2023, it’s a very small sample size so the future with him is unknown.
Two players who the Buccaneers spent high draft picks on who haven’t panned out in recent years are 2021 first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and 2022 second-round pick (No. 33 overall) Logan Hall. Hall has just 3.0 sacks through his first two seasons and Tryon-Shoyinka has 13.0 sacks through three seasons.
The Buccaneers declined the fifth-year option on Tryon-Shoyinka’s contract in the offseason and his name has been thrown about as a possible trade candidate.
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