Trade requests — and all that they entail — are hardly a novel concept in the realm of professional sports.
But two trade requests within the span of a single offseason, when both player and new team should ostensibly be in a honeymoon phase? That’s unheard of.
Leave it to the soap operatic New York Jets franchise to somehow wade into this sort of unprecedented trade request.
To wit, the Jets acquired one of the NFL’s top pass rushers in defensive end Haason Reddick this offseason.
Reddick, who has averaged a double-digit sack total since 2020 (a whopping total of 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons), was seeking a contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles — where Reddick has plied his trade for the last two seasons — this offseason.
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Once it became clear the Eagles were not interested in paying a premium for Reddick, the pass rusher requested a trade to a team that would be more amenable to give him a contract extension.
That’s where the Jets swooped in, trading for Reddick with a mere conditional third-round draft pick.
At a glance, it looked like the perfect pick-up for the defensive-minded Jets. They were getting both a veteran presence and an elite pass rusher, all for the relatively low cost of the 100th, or so, best draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
So far, so good.
Do you think Reddick deserves a contract extension?
The issues between Reddick and the Jets quickly arose, however, as the two parties appeared to quickly hit an impasse.
In June, as mandatory mini-camps were beginning across the NFL, Reddick wasn’t just absent from Jets camp — he was flaunting it.
Haason Reddick has skipped the #Jets mandatory team meetings and is currently in Japan cosplaying 🤔 https://t.co/smQvyD8J20 pic.twitter.com/N9iPAwbHUY
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 21, 2024
Images of Reddick gallivanting around Japan while dressed up went viral in June, and turned out to be an ominous sign for the future of both parties.
On Monday, reports, including from the NFL itself, began surfacing that Reddick made the unheard of second trade request in the span of a single offseason.
The crux of the issue, according to ESPN, is that the “Jets won’t negotiate with a player unless he’s in camp,” but “Reddick refuses to report unless his contract is upgraded.”
It very much feels like a game of contractual chicken, with both parties trying to see who will blink first.
Much to Reddick’s chagrin, the Jets made it pretty clear that they would not placate yet another trade for the disgruntled pass rusher.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 12, 2024
“We have informed Haason that we will not trade him, that he is expected to be here with his teammates, and that he will continue to be fined per the [collective bargaining agreement] if he does not report,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said in a posted statement. “Since the trade discussions back in March we have been clear, direct, and consistent with our position.
“Our focus will remain on the guys we have here as we prepare for the regular season.”
According to NFL reporter Connor Hughes, Reddick had previously told the franchise that he would play on his current deal.
“That, obviously, has not happened,” Hughes noted on X.
With or without Reddick, the Jets will kick off the regular season with a road tilt against the talented San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 9.
