As New York Jets Star’s Holdout Continues, the Money Lost Piles Up

There is some interesting perspective in just how much money New York Jets holdout Haason Reddick has lost so far this season.

Oct 8, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) celebrates after sacking Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

One of the moving targets this early in the season has been determining just how much money New York Jets holdout edge rusher Haason Reddick has lost this season.

After all, NFL contracts are not always easy to decipher. Base salary isn’t always guaranteed. Cap hits get moved around. What’s, say, $14.5 million on paper might not actually be that in real life.

Well, Joel Corry, a former agent who now writes about player contracts at CBS Sports, provided what could be seen as the definitive accounting of just how much Reddick has lost so far this season.

The grand total is close to what many have reported — $8.245 million. But Corry really gets into the nitty-gritty of how all of this racked up.

First, there are mandatory training camp and preseason losses. Reddick lost $101,716 by not showing up for mandatory mini-camp. He lost $2.05 million for not going to training camp and then lost another $2.375 million in game checks for the three preseason games. He also gave up a $250,000 workout bonus.

Then there’s what Corry classified as discretionary fines. Reddick lost $685,750 for missing training camp, which is actually money the Jets get back from his signing bonus. The Jets also got another recoup of $685,750 for Reddick missing the season opener.

Then, there are the game checks, totaling $2.375 million for the first three games. That’s $791,666 per game.

With 14 games remaining, Reddick has approximately $11.083 million in base salary left to pick up. This is why it’s entirely possible that Reddick may end up losing more money than his reported base salary of $14.5 million, which is the final year of his three-year, $45 million deal originally signed with the Eagles.

If this all seems complicated, well on some level it is. But the money Reddick is leaving on the table is rather incredible in the context of the rest of the team.

Reddick’s $8.245 million in lost salary, bonuses and fines is more than the individual cap hit of all but five of his teammates per Spotrac — defensive tackle Quinney Williams, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, cornerback D.J. Reed, wide receiver Allen Lazard and cornerback Ahmad Gardner.

The veteran is leaving a startling amount of money on the table and there appears to be no end in sight. And, after watching the Jets produce with their pass rush the first three weeks of the season and entering a 10-day break with a 2-1 record, Reddick certainly has less leverage than he had just a few days ago.

That isn’t to say New York couldn’t use him. It’s just that now the Jets might be able to get him on their terms and not his.