For the first time since April 1, Haason Reddick is back at the Jets facility.
Reddick reported to the Jets facility on Monday after he had been holding out since the spring due to a contract dispute after he was traded from the Eagles to the Jets.
On Sunday, Reddick ended his holdout after agreeing to an adjusted contract with the Jets.
“I had a brief meeting with him this morning,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “He’s fired up, ready to get rolling with us.
“Got a few things from a physical standpoint that he needs to get assessed. But he’s going to be fully integrated in all that we do.”
Reddick has been away from the Jets facility for over six months, so he received a physical on Monday. Ulbrich said it’s early to say if Reddick will play in Sunday’s game against the Patriots but said the pass rusher is in “great shape.”
Reddick, 30, will receive $9 million, which is the remainder of his 2024 base salary. In addition to that, Reddick will have an opportunity to earn new incentives that will allow him to get back the $12 million he lost in fines by holding out. A team can’t waive offseason fines by NFL policy in the bargaining agreement.
The Jets traded for Reddick in March, hoping he would improve their pass rush after losing Bryce Huff to the Eagles in the offseason. Obviously, that has not happened to this point after he skipped OTAs (organized team activities) in the spring and mandatory minicamp. He didn’t report for training camp because he didn’t have a long-term deal after the entire 2024, the final year of a contract he signed with the Eagles in 2022.
At the beginning of the season, Reddick was slated to earn a non-guaranteed $14.25 million in base salary in the final year of the three-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles as a free agent in 2022. After registering 50.5 sacks from 2020-23, Reddick felt like he had outperformed his contract, which is why the Eagles permitted him to seek a trade in the first place during the winter.
Reddick also requested the Jets trade him on Aug. 12, but the team denied his request, which led to Reddick’s being dropped by CAA. That’s when Reddick hired Drew Rosenhaus and Rosenhaus Sports.
The Jets’ defense is ranked seventh in the league in yards allowed (292.4) and 12th in points allowed, but they could really use Reddick. They lost Jermaine Johnson to an Achilles tear in a Week 2 victory against the Titans.
Also, Will McDonald has been the only consistent pass rusher on the roster this season. In seven games, McDonald has eight sacks.
“It’s another productive speed element from our rush package,” Ulbrich said about Reddick. “Excited about adding him to the fold. As we all know, we are at our best when we rush four and he will allow us to do that.”
The Jets (2-5) will hope Reddick can be one of the players who can light a spark for a team that’s been floundering for the last month. Gang Green hasn’t won a game since its 24-3 victory against the Patriots in Week 3. Since then, the Jets have been on a four-game losing streak.
In the loss against the Steelers, the Jets’ defense had their worst performance of the season. They allowed a season-high 409 yards, and the Steelers averaged 6.2 yards per play.
Despite Reddick’s holdout, the Jets players say they are welcoming him with open arms.
“Haason is going to fit right in this locker room,” Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said. “He’s going to be a guy who plays hard, he’s going to be a guy who gets the quarterback down and he’s going to be a guy that creates turnovers.
“His statistics about getting the ball out are crazy. This isn’t a hostile environment and no one has hatred towards him for the time he missed. No one is looking at him sideways.
“Ultimately, we’re just happy with what is happening in the present moment is that he’s here. We’re going to welcome him and we can’t wait to get him to know him better because all I’ve heard about him is that he’s a great player and also a great person.”
ULBRICH & TEAMATES AGREE WITH RODGERS
After Sunday’s humiliating 37-15 loss to the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, Aaron Rodgers made some damning comments about the Jets players’ emotional level.
“The energy for whatever reason at halftime was a little flat,” Rodgers said. “I felt like it was flat before the game too.
“I mean, Sunday Night Football, so I got to look at myself and what I can do to bring better energy.”
On Monday, Ulbrich said he didn’t believe the team came out flat to begin the game, but they were after halftime.
“I felt we came out and played well early on,” Ulbrich said. “We played a better half of football in the first half, so I felt that was right. I think you might have felt a little bit of what I’ve been talking about as far as pressing too hard, but half time I would absolutely agree with him.
“There’s an element of, they got the last-second score there, and although we were still winning, there was definitely a momentum shift, and that’s something we have to improve. That can’t be part of our MO. That can’t be how we respond to adversity, can’t be.
“We had a long talk about that in the team meeting today about adversity, and how we had the ability to respond the way we need to. After speaking to some guys, I think that’s something that we’re going to be greatly improved on going forward.”
The Jets played well for the first 25 minutes of the first half against the Steelers. They were up. 15-6, heading into halftime before Rodgers’ pass in the middle of the field was intercepted by Beanie Bishop Jr.
Rodgers’ turnover completely changed the momentum of the game. Pittsburgh converted the interception into a touchdown, making the score 15-13. Rodgers also threw another interception that bounced off of Garrett Wilson’s chest that turned into another Steelers touchdown.
The trade for wide receiver Davante Adams was supposed to spark an offense that’s been struggling the first seven weeks of the season. Gang Green’s offense has averaged 17.5 points per game in the last two weeks after Ulbrich changed play-callers from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing. In the first five weeks of the season, the Jets averaged 18.8 points per game in the Jets.
But not everyone feels like the team was flat against the Steelers.
“As a player going into the game, I’m always excited,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams said. “Me, personally, I didn’t feel that way. Everyone is different, but the main thing is we all on the same page.
“Once we get our helmet on and we step on the field, the mindset is let’s go. Whether it’s whatever music is playing in the locker room or halftime, whatever conversations you are having with your coaches.
“I felt like for the most part, we were. There were a couple of things that didn’t go our way, but I wouldn’t say the way we started out the energy wasn’t there. Because you also see highlights where good plays are made. Are you going to say the energy was low right there too? That’s a personal thing on how he felt.”
