Haason Reddick trade grades: Jets going for broke; Eagles avoid long-term gamble

The Philadelphia Eagles traded outside linebacker Haason Reddick to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2026. The pick can become a second-rounder if Reddick records 10 sacks and plays 65 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps in 2024.

Why they made the move

Reddick, who turns 30 in September, is in the final year of his contract and looking for a new deal, so there had been a looming possibility the Eagles would move him.

Although the Temple product had been a strong fit with the Eagles with 27 sacks in two years, it’s understandable why the Eagles aimed to get younger on a defense that struggled during their late-season swoon. A massive financial commitment could be considered a gamble for someone who’d play two or three games before turning 30. Not to mention, they just signed edge rusher Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million deal in free agency.

The Jets, of course, are going for broke with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in town. They also lost Huff in free agency and had an obvious need on the edge.

Reddick has been productive and reliable over the past four years with 50 1/2 sacks and only one missed game. It’ll also be a second homecoming of sorts for the New Jersey native, and his pedigree as a recent winner with the Eagles will be valuable as the Jets attempt to fulfill the franchise-altering expectations that came with Rodgers’ arrival a year ago.

Haason Reddick played twice as many snaps on early downs last season compared to former Jet Bryce Huff, generating 17 more pressures than him on such downs.

Reddick was one of three players to record 6 or more pressures in 8 games in 2023 (M. Parsons, J. Allen).#TakeFlight https://t.co/2KcnJxkJ2W pic.twitter.com/07W9ekbKGn

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 29, 2024

Jets trade grade: A-minus

Though the Jets have had some long-standing issues, there’s been no question about coach Robert Saleh’s ability to lead a defense since they began adding high-caliber talent a couple of years ago. Reddick should help in that cause.

This should be viewed as giving up a third-round pick. In an era when successful teams rotate waves of pass rushers, a 65 percent snap rate is more of a hope than a likelihood. If Reddick hits both benchmarks, though, it means he’ll have delivered a strong season, and a second-round price tag would be worth it.

The Jets would presumably still like to extend Reddick’s contract, but they didn’t surrender all leverage to the player by paying an exorbitant price, such as a first-round pick. If Reddick has a big season and leaves in free agency, he’ll figure into the Jets’ 2026 compensatory pick formula. If the trade doesn’t pan out and he leaves, it’d be hard to fault the aggressive approach for a proven commodity.

Some notable Haason Reddick stats:

– He’s played at least 74% of the snaps in each of the last four years. That might go down with #Jets.
– Over last 4 years, ranks 4th among all defensive players in sacks (50.5), 11th in QB hits (86), 8th in TFL (51) and 9th in total pressures…

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 29, 2024

Eagles trade grade: B

Let’s look at this from a different perspective.

The Eagles knew they were at a crossroads with Reddick, so they got much younger by signing Huff away from the Jets. Huff, who turns 26 next month, is on an upward trajectory after a career-best, 10-sack season.

Then, they swung Reddick to the Jets and recouped a future second-day draft pick. That’s good business. I’m not trying to pretend this was part of general manager Howie Roseman’s elaborate long-term scheme, but he deserves credit for getting creative during an offseason when changes were necessary.

(Photo of Haason Reddick: Bill Streicher / USA Today)