NY Jets don’t feel a sense of urgency to solve Haason Reddick situation
The Jets aren’t panicking!
Another day, another Haason Reddick update. Or, in this case, no real update at all.
The NY Jets continue to move forward without their star pass rusher in the building, as Reddick’s holdout seems likely to extend even further into the regular season with no end in sight.
We all know the deal at this point. The Jets don’t want to negotiate a new contract with Reddick until he shows up. Reddick doesn’t want to show up without a new contract. Hence the standstill.
Reports suggest Reddick is willing to “die on his sword” and extend his holdout as long as feasibly possible. The bad news for Jets fans hoping to see their team’s star edge rusher return to the field in the near future is that the Jets seem to be just as stubborn in their mindset.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh was asked by reporters on Wednesday if there’s an increased sense of urgency to get a deal done with Reddick after the team’s lackluster performance in Week 1. Saleh rejected that notion, insisting that “whenever it gets done, it gets done,” in regard to Reddick’s situation.
NY Jets aren’t panicking about Haason Reddick, but should they?
Both the Jets and Reddick deserve blame for this situation dragging out as long as it has. The overall breakdown in communication reflects poorly on the Jets, who knowingly traded for a player who was seeking a long-term extension and then didn’t give it to him.
Reddick definitely deserves his share of blame as well, however. All reports suggest that no team is willing to trade for Reddick and give him the contract extension he’s looking for.
That makes his trade request last month essentially meaningless and calls into question what the end goal of his holdout actually is. If no team wants to pay Reddick what he’s looking for, then he’s not going to get that new contract. He’s overestimating his market and costing himself millions of dollars in the process.
Unfortunately, the Jets are losers in this situation as well. The team’s defensive line struggled mightily against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, and while Reddick may not have helped the run defense much, he definitely would’ve assisted a pass rush that registered just one QB hit on Brock Purdy.
Everyone loses here. The Jets don’t have one of their best players and their defense is notably worse off as a result. Reddick is tanking his value and losing money every week.
Unfortunately, despite all logic suggesting that both sides should be motivated to resolve the situation as soon as possible, neither party seems to have any urgency.
Thus, we’re stuck. Neither the Jets nor Reddick are willing to budge. This situation could get even uglier as the weeks progress.
