'It's Just Business': Are Eagles Right To Explore Haason Reddick Trade?

A trade might not even happen for All-Pro pass rusher Haason Reddick but the Philadelphia Eagles are right to shop him to other teams.

In the last two seasons, there have been few pass rushers as dominant as Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro Haason Reddick. 

The Temple product has totaled 27 sacks in his first two years with the Birds while setting himself up for a lucrative contract once his current one with the Eagles ends in 2025. 

That's exactly why general manager Howie Roseman and Philadelphia have decided to place the 29-year-old on the trade block. While Reddick is nowhere near being paid close to the top pass rushers in football, few have been as productive as him. That means while he may be entering the finale of his prime, he still can rightfully ask for top money overall.

Even if he didn't formally ask for a trade.

Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick / USA Today

"Never asked for a trade. However, I do understand it’s a business. Preparing for whatever is next!" Reddick said in a tweet Tuesday. The pass-rushing dynamo later added to Jordan Schultz "This (Philadelphia) is home for me. I was born and raised here. Two of the most fun years playing football in my life came here. I’ve cherished being an Eagle.”

In the end, the difficult situation the Eagles and Reddick are both in is natural for NFL organizations in the salary cap era. 

And it also means that the Eagles are right to shop their top defensive player - even if it means a trade that gives them more draft capital. 

To start, just because Philadelphia is putting one of their top players on the market, doesn't mean they are going to. Top players like Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay were both potentially traded (and later released) but ended up returning. 

The same could happen to Reddick.

Philadelphia is a well-run organization. They understand the importance of proper cap manipulation, and managing the roster in a proper way that benefits them both in the current season and in years to come. 

That's why the team potentially moving on from Reddick is the smart thing to do (if it comes to that). 

Entering the 2024 offseason, the Eagles will have both Reddick and fellow defensive end Josh Sweat entering free agency. Sweat being 26 years old will play a factor - even if he isn't the kind of pass rusher that Reddick is - in whom the Eagles decide to give the money. 

Age, and the fact that the Eagles would be better off spending the money allocated to Reddick on younger players that could reach his skillset, might be the best play for the organization. 

Eagles Have Two Questions to Consider After Reddick Trade Request

If you ask anyone in and outside the organization, the Eagles can and should bring Reddick back on a revised deal that makes the edge rusher happy, while also helping the team's long-term future. 

Whatever move the Eagles end up making this offseason with their prized pass rusher will be the right one. It's just a matter of what decision it ends up being.