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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterOct 15, 2024, 12:21 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
The New York Jets have given holdout pass rusher Haason Reddick permission to seek a trade, owner Woody Johnson confirmed Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Atlanta — an about-face for the organization.
Previously, the Jets said they wouldn’t grant Reddick’s request for a trade, which he made Aug. 12. On Monday, Reddick’s new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with general manager Joe Douglas before the Jets faced the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.
Rosenhaus told ESPN there was “healthy dialogue,” adding that his preference was to keep Reddick with the Jets. On Tuesday morning, The Athletic reported that Reddick had received the OK to speak with other teams. One source said the Jets are letting him explore opportunities with the hope of sparking his desire to get back on the field — for them.
Johnson, who last week issued a public plea to Reddick to report to the Jets, sounded hopeful Tuesday that Reddick still could play for the Jets. He said he’s counting on Rosenhaus to bridge the gap.
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“He knows what he’s doing,” Johnson said of Rosenhaus. “If anyone can get Haason out of whatever it is and get him playing, I think it would be better for the young player.”
Reddick’s longtime agency, CAA, dropped him last week. On Monday, Reddick hired Rosenhaus.
Reddick, 30, was acquired March 29 in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the final year of his contract, he’s demanding an extension that will pay him commensurate with the top edge rushers. The Jets didn’t renegotiate his contract at the time of the trade because they claimed he told them he’d play under his existing contract.
He has skipped all team events since the spring. He has forfeited $4.8 million in game checks, plus another $5 million in NFL-mandated fines. If he doesn’t report by Week 13, he will not get credit for the season and his contract will toll, meaning his 2025 rights will belong to the Jets.
Finding a trading partner won’t be easy because he’s still owed $9.5 million (nonguaranteed) for the rest of the season, and he recently rejected a one-year proposal from the Jets that would’ve given him more than the $14.25 million he was due to make in base pay, a source said.
On the flip side, there’s a demand for edge rushers. Reddick is a highly productive player, having recorded 50.5 sacks in the previous four seasons. The Jets traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick for him, thinking he’d be the final piece on a championship-caliber defense. On April 1, he did an introductory news conference, saying he was “happy” to be a Jet.
That was the last they’ve seen of him.
ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler contributed to this report.
