Four Possible Trade Destinations for Disgruntled Jets Pass Rusher Haason Reddick

Liam McKeone | Oct 15, 2024

The Lions just lost Aidan Hutchinson for the season and could use depth at edge / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Haason Reddick saga with the New York Jets took another turn Tuesday. Shortly before the franchise made a blockbuster deal for Davante Adams, news broke that the franchise will allow Reddick to seek a trade. Briefly.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported New York is willing to let Reddick and his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, search for a trade during a "short window." Per the report, Rosenhaus has spent the past 12 hours gauging interest in potential trade partners.

Reddick has been holding out in search of a new contract since he was traded to the Jets from the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason and already demanded a trade back in August. The NFL season is six weeks old and Reddick has held strong in pursuit of those wishes. While the situation has been ugly and played out very publicly, there could still be teams interested in his services.

He's a talented pass rusher with 27 sacks over the past two years. Expectations should be measured given Reddick has to get back into game shape but franchises in search of pass-rushing depth should at least poke around. The Jets may be extra motivated to move him now, too, after giving up a conditional third-round pick to bring Adams aboard.

Here are a few possible destinations for the disgruntled pass-rusher.

Detroit Lions

The Lions will be the first team brought up in Reddick discussions this week because they just lost their top edge rusher. Aidan Hutchinson, who was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks, went down with a brutal leg injury against the Dallas Cowboys and is done for the year. A few weeks earlier, Detroit lost its other starting edge in Marcus Davenport due to injury. The Lions have some intriguing names such as Josh Paschal and James Houston who could fill the void but they have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this season. Banking on unproven players is a risk.

The organization will be scouring the trade market for reinforcements and Reddick could represent the best value. General manager Brad Holmes has kept his team's picks close to his chest so they have the resources to send out a mid-round pick for Reddick and the defense's ability to get after the opposing quarterback could decide some very important games down the stretch. The Lions have publicly emphasized the importance of culture on the roster and may hesitate to invite the sort of negative attention Reddick has garnered, but he's worth considering for a championship contender.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are 2–4 and teetering on an unacceptable lost season under Joe Burrow, even after a big win on Sunday Night Football this week. The defensive line, in particular, has been a weak spot on the roster in 2024. The team has a grand total of eight sacks in six games despite boasting one of the league's better pass rushers in Trey Hendrickson (who has five of those eight sacks). The defense put up a decent effort against the New York Giants on Sunday evening but the previous five weeks have shown the unit isn't up to snuff against better offenses.

Reddick would not solve all of their problems and is by no means a quick fix to catapult the Bengals back into contention. But making such a move does line up. It feels like Cincinnati needs to get better quickly before the playoffs are out of reach and we aren't even at midseason yet. Adding Reddick to bolster the weakest part of the roster and hoping Burrow can get the offense going isn't the greatest plan in the world but the Bengals need to do something before it's too late.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have already invested a mid-round pick in a trade for a pass rusher when they sent a 2025 third-round pick to the New England Patriots for Matthew Judon. So it does feel unlikely they'd do so again. However, the Falcons lead the NFC South at 4–2 despite ranking dead last in the NFL in total sacks with five. Judon has only 1.5 sacks on the season. He may come around but it's clear Atlanta still needs help getting after the quarterback and Reddick qualifies as such.

Again, this wouldn't be a terribly logical team-building move in the longterm. But the gigantic Kirk Cousins contract and the Judon move strongly indicate Atlanta is all-in on this version of the team. If Reddick can be had for a fifth or sixth-round pick, or even a higher pick a few years down the road, the Falcons should be in the running.

Kansas City Chiefs

The opening weeks of the 2024 season have not really suggested the defense is the problem in Kansas City. Chris Jones remains the best defensive tackle in the league and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has elevated play across the board yet again. But despite a stout run defense (fifth-fewest rushing yards allowed per game), the Chiefs still rank near the bottom of the league in sacks with nine in five games and could use some help across from former first-round pick George Karlaftis, especially with Charles Omenihu still recovering from his ACL tear.

More importantly, taking a swing on this sort of distressed asset is what championship teams do. The Chiefs can afford to send out a Day 3 pick for a guy who may only matter when the postseason kicks in, and would be entirely content if that was the only time he provided any value. Most other teams can't say the same. It's not likely but definitely possible the Chiefs decide to take a swing as they go for a three-peat.

---

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed