What’s Next for New York Jets Star Now That Contract Holdout is Over?

The holdout of New York Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick is finally over, but the questions about his immediate future in the defense remain.

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

New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed on Monday that holdout edge rusher Hasson Reddick had reported to the team's facility on Monday as he was expected to after the team reached an agreement on a restructured contract with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, on Sunday.

Reddick was in the process of going through a physical when Ulbrich met with the media. A physical is usually the final hurdle in finalizing the deal. But, he had already met with Reddick and said he was eager to get started, saying the end was “fired up.”

But, how soon can he play is the bigger question as the Jets (2-5) prepare to take on New England (1-6) on Sunday.

“We got to see what he looks like,” Ulbrich said. “He’s in great spirits, he says he’s in great shape. Obviously, he’s got to get  out there and spend some time with us first for us to make that decision.”

It brings one of the strangest holdouts in recent memory to an end. It also gives New York a pass rusher that can help them increase their traffic around opposing quarterbacks.

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.

But it took a week to get it done after Reddick hired Rosenhaus, one of the game’s top agents. His hiring came after Reddick’s former agency, CAA, dropped him two weeks ago in part because the pass rusher wasn’t taking their advice, which included a one-year deal it negotiated with the Jets that he ultimately turned down.

Based on published reports, it sounds like Reddick signed a deal similar to the one he was offered earlier this season.

When the deal was first reported by outlets like ESPN, the Jets had agreed to pay Reddick the remainder of his base salary for the season, which was approximately $9 million. He was due to make $14.5 million in base salary this season, the last year of a three-year, $45 million deal he signed with Philadelphia in 2022.

Some reports noted that the Jets had agreed to waive the fines that Reddick had racked up during the holdouts. Those fines and lost salary approached $12 million.

The problem with that was that the NFL doesn’t allow teams to waive fines like this. So, the Jets and Reddick took a different approach, and the details of that approach were revealed after the deal was signed.

New York adjusted the contract to provide Reddick avenues to make the money back to offset the fines. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, he can make up for the fines with incentives for sacks, play-time, league honors and team-based incentives.

It’s not clear yet what those incentives are. But the Jets are just happy it’s over.