We have not seen defensive end Haason Reddick at the OTA practices open to the media.
If he was there other days, it’s hard to say because we’re not there.
Is the absence contract related? He has one year left on his current deal, and it’s no secret he was looking for a new contract from Philly before he was traded to the Jets.
Reddick claimed at his introductory press conference in Florham Park that he wouldn’t let the contract impact his performance:
“Whatever happens, I’m gonna be happy,” Reddick said. “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.”
But some would argue that he might not be happy if his current contract isn’t tweaked.
“Two things [Reddick’s] steadfast about – how much he’s worth and how to use him,” said former NFL defensive tackle Dan Sileo, now a host on Jakib Sports in Philly.
When Reddick was in Carolina with the Panthers, he took a young pass rusher named Brian Burns under his wing, the same Burns who was traded to the New York Giants this off-season, and the G-Men gave the defensive end a five-year deal for $141 million with $87.5 million guaranteed. That deal is worth an average of $28.2 million a year.
Reddick is scheduled to make $15 million this year.
Obviously, Reddick is well aware of what his former protege, and also Jacksonville’s Josh Allen (who signed an almost identical deal to Burns) are now making and while it’s unlikely the Jets will go into that stratosphere, it stands to reason Reddick, who had 27 sacks the last two years in Philadelphia, is looking for a bump in salary, and perhaps that is related to his OTA absence.
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