New York Jets face harsh criticism over Haason Reddick trade

The New York Jets made a huge splash this offseason when they acquired edge rusher Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles. With Bryce Huff signing a free agent deal with the Eagles, it made perfect sense for the Jets to acquire the veteran from Philadelphia.

Things didn’t go according to plan, however. New York knew when they made the deal that Reddick was looking for a new contract. Philadelphia had given them permission to talk to him about working out a new deal.

Nothing came of it, but there was an agreement between the two parties. The Jets thought Reddick would show up for offseason workouts. So far, he has shown up for nothing, as he has also been absent from training camp.

Given the current state of affairs, it makes sense that the trade would not be viewed as a positive for New York. Over at Pro Football Network, Tony Catalina offered some harsh criticism of the Jets, giving them a D+ for the trade.

“Considering that New York gave up future draft capital for a player who is unhappy with his contract and has yet to practice with the team, the Jets’ acquisition of Reddick is the lowest-rated deal of the offseason,” Catalina wrote.

It’s hard to argue with that harsh assessment. Whatever the team thought was happening, a player they traded a conditional third-round pick for hasn’t reported, and there’s no end in sight.

Another reason the Jets’ evaluation for this move should be low is the other trades that preceded this one. Knowing Reddick was on the way, the team traded John Franklin-Myers to the Denver Broncos.

New York is not only missing a draft pick, they’re also missing a key rotation piece on their defensive line. The pressure is on 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald IV to improve his performance in Year 2, as his role will grow exponentially whether Reddick shows up or not.

If Reddick had participated in the offseason program, the trade grade would have been on the other end of the spectrum. Teams can never have too many edge rushers, and Reddick is an elite team.

In his last two seasons with the Eagles, he has 27 sacks with 24 tackles for loss and 49 quarterback hits. He also has 76 total pressures, as he lives in the opposing backfield.