When former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell held out for the 2018 season over his contract, coach Mike Tomlin said something very profound:
“We want volunteers, not hostages.”
It might be time for the Jets to start thinking that way with defensive end Haason Reddick, who continues his holdout, refusing to honor the contract the Jets inherited from the Philadelphia Eagles in a March trade.
This is such a vitriolic situation that it’s hard to imagine that if he came back to play under his current deal, or a tweaked contract with a little more money, he would be ready to sing Kumbaya with the Jets’ organization.
So while Jets GM Joe Douglas said he wouldn’t trade Reddick, maybe it’s time to reconsider.
If he did come back, the vibe could be pretty bad between this player and the team, and do the Jets want to invite that kind of karma into a tight-knit locker room?
And as Tomlin said, you want “volunteers, not hostages.”
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