New York Jets Made Superstar Holdout New Offer Early in Season: Report

A new report offered more proof that the holdout of New York Jets edge rusher Haason Reddick has no end in sight.

Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) reacts after a defensive stop against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

For every game New York Jets edge rusher Haason Reddick misses, it costs him money. In a game check alone that amount is nearly $800,000.

He is closing in on a point where, with fines and lost salary, the holdout could actually exceed the amount he was due this year, which was $14.5 million.

Reddick is the only remaining holdout in the NFL. His representation, CAA, dropped him earlier this week. NFL Network reported earlier this week that part of the reason the agency dropped him was because the 30-year-old Pro Bowler wasn’t taking their advice.

Another report on Sunday by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shows that the Jets were also doing their diligence to try and get something done.

New York general manager Joe Douglas’ line since late in the preseason was that New York wouldn’t deal with Reddick until the pass rusher reported to the team facility. Aside from his introductory press conference, he stayed away. Reddick, for his part, said he wouldn’t report without a new deal and even asked for a trade in August.

Well, it turns out the Jets and Reddick’s former representatives were still working toward a deal.

Per the report, there was optimism in the early weeks of the season that the two sides could reach an agreement on a reworked deal. It would last one year and would allow Reddick to test free agency in the offseason. Rapoport reported the deal was “all but worked out.”

It also came with an olive branch of sorts to Reddick that would make everything right, at least financially:

(Reddick) had a contract offer that would have given him the opportunity to make up for the fines and make more money than he was originally scheduled to earn.

Rapoport didn’t detail the contract’s structure. But given that Reddick is on the hook for at least $9 million in lost salary and fines at this moment, one has to imagine the earlier deal would have allowed him to recoup at least two-thirds of what he owes now.

Reddick turned it down. The Jets moved on.

And now, the two sides are as entrenched as ever.

Adding Reddick would make the Jets’ pass rusher even more dynamic.

From 2020-23 he had 51 sacks. Only Trey Hendrickson (53), Myles Garrett (58) and T.J. Watt (62) had more sacks in that span. He is one of seven defensive players with a streak of at least four seasons of 10 or more sacks in the past 10 years.

For now, he’ll sit and rest and watch, knowing that at some point he must report to New York to get his service time so he can be a free agent next season. Right now, the Jets seem to hold all the cards.