The New York Jets must find common ground with Haason Reddick
The New York Jets were blindsided when Haason Reddick did not show up at mandatory minicamp. He reportedly assured them he would come to OTAs and minicamp only to renege on his word. Now, the media has hyped up the possibility that Reddick could hold out of training camp despite the hefty associated fines ($50,000 per day).
ESPN’s Rich Cimini reassured Jets fans that this is an unlikely outcome. He wrote, “The Jets don’t seem to be fretting the possibility of a nasty holdout. Chances are, they will find common ground by sweetening his existing contract.”
Reddick’s current contract includes a $14.25 million non-guaranteed salary and a $500,000 bonus. He missed out on a $250,000 workout bonus when he neglected to attend OTAs. The non-guaranteed part of the equation likely worries Reddick, as the Jets could theoretically release him if he sustains an injury. More importantly, though, he watched Danielle Hunter receive a two-year, $49 million deal from the Texans. Hunter and Reddick are the same age (29), and Reddick would likely command a similar deal on the open market.
It seems clear that the Jets are unwilling to give Reddick that kind of money upfront. They have no reason to, as Reddick is still under contract for 2024. However, if they want to keep their player at least reasonably happy, they likely need to do something.
Therefore, the most likely outcome, in my opinion, is for the Jets to guarantee some of his contract and add performance-based incentives. That’s what the Giants did with Saquon Barkley and the Raiders with Josh Jacobs in 2023 when both backs were unhappy about receiving the franchise tag. Perhaps the Jets will throw in $1 million or so of extra money to sweeten it.
The Jets already placed many incentives in Tyron Smith’s and Mike Williams’ contracts. Reddick is not in the same boat, as he’s not an injury concern. Still, incentives fall in line with the Jets’ message to Reddick that he needs to perform well in 2024 to earn a new deal.
My guess is that Reddick will end up with a one-year, $16 million deal with $2.5 million in not likely to be earned (NLTBE) incentives. I imagine those incentives would involve Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and playoff performances or production. (It’s hard to attach an NLTBE incentive concerning sacks because Reddick had 11 sacks in 2023.)
Either way, Reddick doesn’t sound like a player ready to hold out. Chances are the Jets will do exactly what Cimini said. This will become yet another story hyped up by the media in a slow news time.
