Haason Reddick is a seven year vet of the NFL, having spent time with Arizona, Carolina, and Philadelphia, but after being recently traded, he is destined for another change of scenery, as he heads to the Big Apple to play for the New York Jets. The Philadelphia Eagles traded Reddick to the New York Jets for a 2026 3rd round pick that can escalate into a 2nd. The Eagles gain more draft capital and the Jets get a premium pass rusher, as they shove all their chips to the middle for this season. Let’s take a look at how this impacts the Jets and what we can expect from Reddick in 24’ and beyond.
Reflecting on the Past
Haason Reddick’s career can be split into two distinct phases of his game. The early days with the Arizona Cardinals saw Reddick play predominantly as an ILB or MLB. It wasn’t until his 4th year with a switch to OLB, that we first saw the pass rush extraordinaire that we see today. In his first three seasons with the Cardinals he had two seasons of 75+ tackles but only had a combined 7½ sacks over that span (48 games/20 starts). Arizona would switch Reddick to OLB in year four and he would reward them with a breakout season. He would record 63 tackles, 15 TFLs (3rd in NFL), and 12½ sacks (4th in NFL), and become one of the league's newest star pass rushers.
Despite the breakout by Reddick, the Cardinals would not pick up his 5th-year option and he would hit free agency and sign a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. During that 21’ season, Reddick would once again shine as he would record a 68/12/11 (tackle, TFL, sacks) season. After the season he would once again hit free agency and this time he would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year deal worth $45M.
Reddick’s time in Philadelphia would see him develop into one of the league's top pass rushers. In his two seasons with the Eagles, Reddick would earn two Pro-Bowl honors and a 4th place finish for DPOY in his first season with Philly. His first year in Philadelphia, he would post a 49/11/16 line and follow that up with a 38/13/11 last year. In his seven seasons in the NFL, Reddick played 114 games with 81 career starts, while producing totals of 410 total tackles, 69 TFLs, 99 QB hits, and 58 sacks.
Looking Ahead to the Future
In the opening, I mentioned the trade sending him from Philadelphia to New York. With the huge let down by their defense last year, it was a given that there would be significant changes coming. While the Eagles look to retool, the Jets are going all in with QB Aaron Rodgers set to return. The Jets do have some very nice young duo of pass rushers in DEs Jermaine Johnson (7½ sacks) and DE Will McDonald IV (3 sacks), along with DT Quinnen Williams (5½ sacks). The big hit to this group was losing their sack leader DE Bryce Huff (10 sacks). Rather than keep and continue to develop their own, they let him walk in free agency. This move would create an opening/need that had to be addressed. Enter the Reddick trade!
Most of us would like to keep our homegrown players but it’s a business that doesn’t always reward like that. With Huff gone, and the Jets set to add as many premium pieces as they can around Rodgers, they had to fill that void. The Jets only have limited shots at this possible contender window, and they saw quickly last year where they stood when Rodgers went down on the first series. There had been rumblings earlier that Reddick was available, but it wasn’t until free agency played out and teams began to focus on the draft, that he was finally moved. Still, with a need at DE, the Jets pulled the trigger on acquiring Reddick.
What the Jets are getting is a super durable high production pass rusher to pair and help lead their youngsters. Reddick has played in every game since he entered the league in 2017 and has 50½ sacks over the past four seasons. Losing Huff hurts, but getting Reddick is exactly the type of splash move you make, when you are in an all in situation. Reddick gives them leadership on the outside and with Williams on the inside, they can develop both Johnson and McDonald, without them feeling the pressure to carry the team. With a healthy Rodgers at the helm, the Jets will likely play with a lead a lot more and that means that Reddick can play loose and attack for them defensively.
Fantasy Outlook
With the trade of Reddick to the Jets, there have been a lot of questions as to what we can expect. I like him to continue being what we have seen from him previously, which is a tier-two pass rusher with some upside. An Aaron Rodgers-led Jets is more in the mold of what we have seen with passing teams, as opposed to the more run-oriented Eagles. This should translate to more opportunities for Reddick to wreak havoc. I believe we’ll see his tackle numbers trend back up with his pass rush numbers that we rely on in IDP fantasy. A 50+/15+/10+ (tackle, TFL, sack) line is well within his capabilities.
The true value with Reddick will come in leagues where you are allowed to play him as a DE/DL designation. Preferably in position specific if you can get him as a DE which is the position he should play for New York. In fact, it’s possible that he gets classified as a DE on sites such as MFL. While I like Reddick and his move to the Jets a lot, I wouldn’t want to depend on him as my top EDGE for my fantasy teams. If I can get one of the top tier options and can pair Reddick with them, then I love it. There is a lot of potential for Reddick and value with what it might cost to acquire him.
Thanks for reading my article and following my content. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). You can follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or DM me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
