Seeking a competitive advantage following the departure of Bryce Huff in free agency, the New York Jets acquired Haason Reddick in a trade Friday with the Philadelphia Eagles, sources tell Adam Schefter from ESPN.
The Jets will send the Eagles a conditional 2026 third-round pick that will move up to a 2026 second-round pick if Reddick reaches 67.5 percent playing time and 10 sacks, sources said. In 2023, Reddick recorded 11 sacks and 38 tackles in 17 games. He played 74% of defensive snaps.
Basically, the Jets and Eagles traded their edge rushers. Huff, who led the Jets with 10 sacks last season, signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Eagles on the first day of free agency.
The Jets pursued Shaq Barrett and Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, but they signed with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers, respectively.
With Reddick, 29, the Jets get a proven product. He has 50.5 sacks over the past four seasons, the fourth-highest total in the NFL. Reddick and Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett are the only two players to record at least 10 sacks in each of the last four seasons.
The downside of the trade is that the Jets inherit a big contract. Reddick is set to earn $14.25 million in base salary in 2024, the final year of his contract. If they don’t re-sign him and he leaves as a free agent next year, the Jets would be in contention for a compensatory draft pick in 2026. It’s also possible the Jets deal him a new contract before the upcoming season.
Reddick is also scheduled to receive a $1 million bonus on April 1. The Eagles are expected to pay the bonus, a source said. He was originally scheduled for March, but the Eagles and Reddick pushed him back to facilitate a trade.
It’s the latest in a series of winning moves by the Jets as they try to capitalize on their Aaron Rodgers window. They acquired tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, both 33, as well as wide receiver Mike Williams, 29, who is coming off ACL surgery.
The Jets are loaded on defense, with Reddick joining starters Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers and 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald. They also have a backup Michael Clemons.
“The more, the merrier,” coach Robert Saleh said this week at the league’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Typically, the Jets like to rotate four, sometimes five, defensive ends during a game. Reddick’s arrival could impact McDonald, who is expected to play a bigger role after a nondescript rookie year. It could also impact Franklin-Myers, which carries a $16.4 million cap charge. They might approach him about a pay cut.
The concern with Reddick is that he slowed down at the end of last season, finishing with five straight games without a sack (including one in the playoffs). The Eagles changed defensive coordinators during the season, which seemed to affect Reddick’s role and usage.
“All kinds of juice and gas. He’s definitely a problem,” Saleh said of Reddick before facing the Eagles last season. “…He’s definitely found a new lease of life in this area. He’s dynamic. He’s versatile. They can do a lot of different things with him, but he’s a three-down runner. He can win inside. He can win on the outside… He can go through you.
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News Source : www.espn.com
