Why Philadelphia Eagles' Haason Reddick Trade Was a Savvy One for GM Howie Roseman

The Philadelphia Eagles' trade that sent star edge rusher Haason Reddick highlighted the advantages Howie Roseman has over most other NFL GMs.

Oct 8, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7). / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - The reverberations of the trade that sent Haason Reddick 90 minutes north up I-95 from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Jets will be felt throughout the 2024 season in two different cities expected to contend.

The actual mechanics of the deal which sent the productive and underpaid Reddick to the Jets for a conditional third-round pick in 2026 that could turn into a second-rounder if Reddick hits landmarks for sacks (10 or more) and playing time (67.5 percent of New York’s defensive snaps) can be traced to the realities of the two general managers who happen to be former colleagues and friends: Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas. 

Roseman is as entrenched any GM in the NFL, a decision-maker Jeffrey Lurie trusts implicitly, something the Eagles’ owner emphasized again at the league’s annual meetings earlier this month.

“I trust Howie and if Howie says to me we've got to make a change in the way we look at certain things. I listen to Howie,” Lurie said.

That rare job security allows Roseman to play the long game in getting value for the unhappy Reddick by using the calendar.

Aug 17, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Most organizations regard future picks are less valuable. In other words, a 2024 second-round selection next month is considered a better asset and one two years out is basically out of sight, out of mind.

Forget about analytics or any advanced studies, common sense should dismiss that sentiment as illogical. The fly in the ointment to that spawns from an exaggerated sense of importance on immediacy tied to the shelf life of the decision-makers themselves.

Few GMs can operate like Roseman. Most have to proceed like Douglas, once the Eagles GM’s right-hand man on the personnel side in Philadelphia.

ESPN Jets Reporter Rick Cimini had the best description of the difference when he unveiled his thoughts of the trade from the New York perspective.

“A home run for 2024. It'll look like a broken-bat single in 2026,” Cimini wrote on social media. “Joe (Win Now) Douglas is not concerned with '26.”

In other words, if Douglas doesn’t win now for a Jets team getting Aaron Rodgers back from an Achilles injury, he’s not going to be around in 2026 so the future pick essentially means nothing to him.

Turn Cimini’s sentiment around and it’s a broken bat single for Roseman when it comes to the snapshot in time and a home run in 2026 when Reddick will be turning 32 with a big contract for the Jets or someone else. 

Roseman’s job security was his path to game the same system that wouldn’t offer much of substance for one of two players (All-Pro and 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is the other) who has produced 10-plus sacks in four consecutive seasons.

The negative aspect for Roseman is the perception that this is lateral move for the 2024 Eagles and that’s about evaluation. 

The Eagles backed up their belief in free agent-signing Bryce Huff, ironically signed from the Jets, as an ascending player to the tune of more that they were paying Reddick. The veteran GM’s endorsement of the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Nolan Smith, at the scouting combine was also something to put as asterisk on.

“In retrospect, just seeing him certainly in the playoff game [against Tampa Bay], one of the guys who played well in the playoff game, maybe giving him a little bit more time during the year and experience, we talked about that,” Roseman said when discussing Smith, who played sparingly as a rookie, at the combine. "He's got all the right tools in his body. He's got the right mentality."

The larger plan is to get the Eagles’ defense, which fell apart in 2023, better as a group.

If that means taking a slight step back from Reddick’s individual production to a greater team dynamic while at the same time getting younger, more cost-effective, and also adding future draft capital that is tangible for the GM, all of a sudden a broken-bat single turns into a double in the gap with the cleanup hitter on deck.

The reality is Roseman has more paths to success from this trade than his one time understudy and Douglas understands that but the Jets GM is operating in the now because he has to.