Woody Johnson has wasted no time sending a message to Haason Reddick to return to the team and suit up for the first time after the New York Jets’ disastrous trade this past offseason.
Johnson decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday after a 2-3 start to the season, amid his apparent fallout with quarterback Aaron Rodgers while naming defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich as head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Jets owner appears to hope that the moves makes Reddick reconsider his stance, having not played a snap since arriving via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. The pass-rusher is chasing a new contract, but his tactic has backfired hugely with him losing around $8 million in choosing not to play.
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Reddick is in the final year of his contract where he was set to make around $14 million this year, but has already lost more than half of that after refusing to take part in training camp and missing five regular season games. A player sitting out for this long has not been seen in the NFL since Le’Veon Bell had in 2018 while in a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaking directly to Reddick in a press conference after firing Saleh, Johnson said: “Haason, get in your car, drive down (I-)95 and come to the New York Jets, and we can meet you and give you an escort right in the building and you’ll fit right in and you’re going to love it here and you’re going to feel welcome and you’re going to accomplish great things with us.”
He added: “This is something I’ve never seen before, you know, and you’ve got even more years than I have. I don’t think any of us have seen anything like this. I think you have to be part psychologist and part some-other gist to try and figure out what is actually going on. I hope that the young man can come to the team.
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Haason Reddick has not reported for the Jets since being traded (
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“When he gets here, he will find a very welcome locker room and he’ll be able to fit right in, but he’s got to get here first.”
Reddick can lose up to $21.75 million if he holds out the entire 2024 season. This would mean that he would actually pay $7.5 million out of his own pocket as a result of his holdout and refusal to suit up for the team.
Reddick has has an incredible 51 sacks in the last four years, becoming one of the better pass-rushing linebackers in the league as the Jets gave up a third-round pick to acquire him.
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