The New York Jets may look to unload star pass-rusher Haason Reddick this season, as his holdout from the team continues, and a recent mock trade has him returning to the team where he made his bones in the NFL.
Reddick was expected to amplify the Jets’ top-rated defense from 2023 after they acquired him via trade back in March. However, he has forgone participating in any on-the-field activities with the team from then until now, as he’s pursued a contract extension with an annual salary in the $25 million ballpark.
Weeks went by with speculation that the 6-1, 240-pound pass rusher would potentially join the team in time for their Week 1 debut against the San Francisco 49ers, but that never happened. Now that Reddick missing time during the season has become a reality, so have the trade rumors that were tied to his name in the offseason. An NFL writer sees a reunion with his former team as a viable option for the Jets to execute for the 29-year-old.
NFL analyst suggests that the Jets trade Haason Reddick to the Cardinals
ESPN’s Ben Solak made the case that the Jets trading Reddick back to the Arizona Cardinals would make sense for both franchises, saying this in part (h/t: Donnie Druin of Arizona Cardinals on SI):
“Why this deal makes sense for both sides: Would Reddick return to Arizona, the team that drafted him and nearly torpedoed his career? The Cardinals’ general manager and coach are somewhat new to town, but they’re also familiar with Reddick. The edge rusher had his best season in 2022, when Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. Plus, the Cardinals are starved for pass-rush help following the injury to BJ Ojulari. Also important? They have a ton of money with which to pay Reddick,” Solak wrote.
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Would trading Reddick to Arizona benefit New York in the proposed deal?
The Cardinals do in fact have a ton of money to pay Reddick, as Solak pointed out. Arizona is sitting on $23.5 million in cap space for this season, and that figure will skyrocket to $119.9 million in 2025, the latter of which will give them the third-highest cap space in the NFL next season. They may not be able to give Reddick the $25 million he wants, but they could come awfully close, and should both parties agree, he could play this season and sign an even more lucrative multi-year deal with the team next winter.
As for the Jets, it would have been ideal for Reddick to step in with the 11 sacks he produced in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles and make up for the 10 that former defensive end Bryce Huff took with him out of the door to the Eagles this offseason. The Jets now have a hole in their front seven, but would be wise to try and get a return for the New Jersey native as opposed to watching him sit out more games that could cost them big time each week.
Getting Cardinals safety Budda Baker back in return would further stack the Jets’ secondary. They already have Tony Adams and Chuck Clark manning the safety slots. While adding Baker would ensure that New York has capable pass-disruptors roaming downfield, it still would not address their need for another athletic pass-rusher to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the pocket.
Nevertheless, the financials make sense for Reddick and a Cardinals team that finished No. 30 overall in sacks (33) in 2023. Plus, inheriting the final year of Baker’s four-year, $59 million deal would give them flexibility next offseason.
