On Sunday morning, New York Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick finally ended his holdout more than six months after he was traded to the team. With Reddick’s holdout over, will he play tonight when the Jets face the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Sunday Night Football”?
Let’s break down when we can expect to see Reddick make his season debut and how the two sides ultimately resolved the holdout.
Haason Reddick Ends 6-Week Holdout
While Reddick ended his six-week holdout before Week 7, he won’t be playing for the Jets tonight as they take on the Steelers.
Instead, the two sides agreed that Reddick would report to the team on Monday morning. Depending on his conditioning, we may see Reddick make his season debut in Week 8 when the Jets face the New England Patriots.
The Jets are the fourth team that Reddick has played for since 2017, as he has also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, and Arizona Cardinals.
Back in March, the Jets acquired Reddick from the Eagles for a 2026 conditional third-round pick. The team was aware of Reddick’s contract situation when they completed the trade.
The TL needs Haason Reddick highlights !
The Jets will have the No. 1 Defense
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— J. Gray (@JGrayJets) August 24, 2024
After a 2-4 start, the Jets have made aggressive moves to improve the team.
In addition to adjusting Reddick’s contract, New York acquired Davante Adams in a blockbuster trade with the Las Vegas Raiders a few days earlier and fired head coach Robert Saleh one week earlier.
So, why was Reddick holding out, and how did the two sides work it out?
Reddick’s Updated Contract Numbers
Even before his trade to the Jets, Reddick wanted an extension or an increase over the $14.25 million he was scheduled to earn in 2024, the final year of his existing contract.
While Reddick wanted a new contract, he and the Jets agreed to an adjusted deal instead.
“The two-time Pro Bowler will receive the remainder of his 2024 base salary — approximately $9 million — plus new incentives that will allow him to recoup the $12 million he lost in fines,” reported ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“We will continue to work towards a long-term extension with the Jets,” Reddick’s agent Drew Rosenhaus told Schefter.
Rosenhaus noted that Jets owner Woody Johnson was “very involved in working this out” with Reddick’s camp. Before head coach Saleh’s firing, Johnson reportedly wasn’t involved in the talks at all.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Jets are agreeing to waive more than $12 million in fines if the NFL and NFLPA allow it.
“Reddick won’t receive back pay for the eight weeks he missed. The $12 million includes bonus money that he forfeited by missing training camp and eight regular-season games. It also includes fines for missing preseason games, in the amount of one regular-season game check ($791,667) for each of three preseason games missed,” Florio reported.
“As to the fines for preseason game checks, there’s apparently an unresolved question (which has morphed into a formal grievance) as to whether they can be waived. The Jets are willing to waive them, if the league and the NFL Players Association agree that they can be waived.
“As to $2 million in daily training-camp holdout fines, those won’t (and most likely can’t) be waived. However, Reddick can earn the money back via incentives.”
Reddick was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023. He has reached double-digit sacks in each of the last four seasons, including a 16-sack campaign in 2022.
Over the course of his seven-year NFL career, he has totaled 58 sacks, 99 quarterback hits, 69 tackles for a loss, 16 forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.