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This Haason Reddick situation is downright baffling.
The defensive end, who the Jets aquired from Philadelphia for a third-round pick on March 29, has not participated in his new team’s off-season workout program, including their OTAs.
Look, we will find out a little more once CAA (Reddick’s agency) leaks something to one of the national insiders, but why would you trade for a player, who wants a new deal, without working out the contract before making the trade?
Former NFL GM Mike Lombardi went off on the Jets over this situation on VSIN early this week:
“If you are Joe Douglas, and you know that Reddick wants a new contract, before you give up a third-round pick, you say to Howie (Roseman), ‘Look, I want to talk to the agent, I want to see what I’m getting into here. I’m not trading for Reddick unless I know what I’m getting into. I’m not taking your problem off your hands for a third round pick, to now make it my problem. I’m not doing that. Let me talk to the agent. Let me find out what I’m dealing with here. Let me see what is going on.’
“There is no general manager in the league that would have traded for Reddick without a deal, if you wanted to give him a deal. So now, they are laying in this mud, this dirt. Reddick is sitting out there, like ‘You trading for me, I’m your mess.'”
Look, on paper, a lot of what Lombardi sense makes, but he’s obviously jumping to some conclusions. Like, how do we know Douglas didn’t have those conversations with Roseman and/or the agent.
I would be shocked if Douglas had no conversations with Roseman and/or the agent about Reddick’s contract situation.
So until I’m told otherwise, I’m not going to accuse Douglas of blindly acquiring a player who was dismayed with his contract, without discussing that situation with other team/agent before pulling the trigger on a deal.
And Reddick said at his introductory presser, with the New York media, that his contract situation wouldn’t impact his mindset with his new team.
“Contractual stuff, I’m leaving that up to my agent and Joe to figure out,” Reddick said. “Whatever happens, I’m gonna be happy. I’m gonna give my all no matter what, that’s just who I am as a person. No matter how it goes, how many years, I’m gonna be here for however long I’m here for and I’m going to give the team, the fans everything that I have.”
Is it possible there was some lip service here?
“Whatever happens, I’m gonna be happy.”
Do you think he will be happy if he has to play for $15 million this year, when he sees defensive ends like Jacksonville’s Josh Allen and the New York Giants’ Brian Burns signing new deals for around $28 million a year?
Is it possible there was a bait-and-switch here, where his camp said the contract situation would be okay, but then it wasn’t okay.
In other words, they new Roseman wasn’t going to give him a new deal, so why not go somewhere else, act like your happy to be there, and then force their hand?
Your old boss was absolutely not going to give it to you, so try to get your new boss to do it.
June 6, 2024
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