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Haason Reddick was likely to leave the Eagles one way or another, but few expected the Jets to give him a way out with a conditional third-round pick. It will reportedly become a second-round pick if he plays more than 67.5% of the defensive snaps for his new team.
That's a premium to pay for a 29-year-old entering the final year of his contract. Add to the fact that it was common knowledge that he was going to be let go by the Eagles as soon as they added former Jets, Bryce Huff, in free agency. Huff is four years younger, and that was always likely to precipitate Haason Reddick's departure.
Fans were flummoxed with his trade compensation and tweeted their disbelief. Here are some of the reactions:
Does the Haason Reddick trade make Jets' defense the best in the division??
A lot of fans unhappy with the trade were saying that it seemed counter-intuitive to sign Haason Reddick when they could have re-signed Bryce Huff. Letting a younger player go to get another older player and also lose a pick in the process does not seem ideal.
However, Haason Reddick is coming off four straight seasons of more than 10 sacks. He was a Pro Bowler in both 2022 and 2023. Bryce Huff has 14.5 sacks overall in his career. Especially in early downs, the former All-Pro generates pressure that's likely to lead to a turnover. He was the forced fumbles co-leader in 2022.
Therefore, discounting the age factor, Haason Reddick looks like an upgrade. In fact, with the likes of Sauce Gardner roving in the secondary, this Jets' defensive unit can be considered one of the best in the league. Even if they have to part with a second-round pick and the player plays for a limited time, the trade shows that the Jets are all-in to win the Super Bowl this season.
They know that Aaron Rodgers is not getting any younger, and last season, after he went down injured, showed them the pieces they needed around him to make them genuine contenders.
New York knows that they will not have a better chance to break the longest active NFL postseason drought than this year. Accordingly, they are fine with getting the best players even if that might smack of short-term thinking.
Even though some Jets fans are complaining that they paid too steep a price for the former Eagles player, others are excited by the possibility. They are hoping that the return they will get out of it is a second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
