Sometimes NFL stories line up in such a way that it really does feel like it’s coming from a script. Just consider the events that landed defensive end Haason Reddick with the New York Jets in a surprising trade Friday evening.
That story actually started last year, when the Jets re-signed defensive end Bryce Huff on a restricted free-agent tender and then drafted a defensive end (Will McDonald) in the first round for the second straight year. Huff thought at that point that he’d be traded. But the Jets kept him around and he produced a breakout season (10 sacks in 2023) … and yet the Jets still didn’t want to pay Huff what he was seeking ahead of free agency. So, he hit the open market last month.
What does that have to do with Reddick? Well, Reddick, coming off a dominant four-year stretch on par with the NFL’s best pass rushers, felt like he’d earned a raise this offseason after a stellar two-year run with the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting after a 16-sack season in 2022 and followed that up with 11 sacks and 23 QB hits last season. But the Eagles weren’t willing to give him the raise he was seeking — reports suggested Reddick wanted $25 million per year — and instead permitted Reddick to seek a trade.
On March 11, not long after the free-agent negotiating window opened, the Eagles and Huff agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal, ostensibly signing Reddick’s replacement while he was still on the roster — and for more money than the deal he signed as a free agent in 2022, no less.
Then, to close the loop: The Jets traded for Reddick … to replace Huff, sending a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Eagles.
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But the story has even more twists: The 25-year-old Huff has spoken about viewing Reddick, 29, as the kind of pass rusher he wanted to become. He even copied the kind of cleats Reddick wears. Now Huff is replacing Reddick — and Reddick is replacing Huff.
“The last few days have been crazy,” Reddick said Monday. “But the news itself, I was happy to hear. It’s a new beginning, a new chapter for me.”
Reddick still hasn’t secured that new contract he wants and it’s unclear if the Jets are in a rush to sign him to one yet. For now, Reddick is a hired gun, a proven and elite pass rusher getting added to one of the NFL’s best defenses. Consider that Reddick nearly had the same number of sacks two years ago (16) that Huff has in his entire four-year career (17 1/2).
“All options are open,” Reddick said about his contract. “Right now I’m just worried about being here, meeting everybody. … But whatever happens, I’m going to be happy, I’m going to give my all no matter what because that’s just who I am as a person. 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.”
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Reddick, a first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, wasn’t particularly interested in talking about why things didn’t work out in Philadelphia. Joining the Eagles in 2022 was a homecoming for Reddick, who grew up in South Jersey and played collegiately in Philadelphia at Temple University.
“As far as the Eagles, it wasn’t about ‘what he has left in the tank’ or anything like that,” Reddick said. “It’s a business and sometimes hard decisions gotta be made even if you don’t like them.”
The Jets had targeted Reddick all offseason once he became available — “I knew the Jets were one of the teams willing to trade for me for a little while,” he said — but explored other options at defensive end before consummating the trade. They nearly signed Shaquil Barrett before the Dolphins swooped in. They hosted Jadeveon Clowney for a visit before the Panthers secured him on a two-year deal. Douglas settled on the best available pass rusher, one who has combined for 50 1/2 sacks, 86 quarterback hits, 51 tackles for loss and 235 total pressures over the last four seasons.
Before the Eagles-Jets game last season, Jets coach Robert Saleh raved about Reddick.
“All kinds of juice and gas off the edge,” Saleh said. “He’s definitely a problem. … He’s dynamic. He’s versatile. They can do a lot of different things with him, but he’s a three-way rusher. He can win inside. He can win outside. He can run right through you. So, he’s always going to present a problem.”
Haason Reddick celebrates after sacking Rams QB Matthew Stafford last season. (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
The Jets ranked seventh in sacks last season, so it’s not as if they were starved for pass rushers. They lost Huff, but they still have Jermaine Johnson, voted to the Pro Bowl in his second season, and a solid, versatile veteran in John Franklin-Myers. Adding Reddick also allows the Jets to take their time in giving McDonald a bigger role, especially after he barely played as a rookie. His role will increase, though he still won’t be a full-time player. Now he can become a Huff-esque pass specialist while Reddick and Johnson presumably get most of the snaps on passing downs at defensive end.
As part of the conditions of the trade, if Reddick plays 67.5 percent of the snaps this season and has 10 or more sacks, the third-round pick becomes a second-round pick in 2026. If Reddick doesn’t meet both of those conditions, the pick remains in the third-round. For now, Reddick will carry a $15 million cap hit in 2024.
The addition of Reddick — along with incentive-laden one-year deals for offensive tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams — crystallizes the win-now attitude general manager Joe Douglas carried in free agency. It’s hard to blame him, especially with owner Woody Johnson’s win-now mandate, placing Douglas and Saleh firmly on the hot seat — and with a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
This is a team built to win right now — or else — and Reddick sees his new team’s potential.
“You’ve got dogs at each level of the defense, literally,” Reddick said. “I’m happy to be around a group of guys like this, a talented roster such as this one. It’s going to be fun. I don’t think anybody is ready for what’s about to happen.”
(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
