Philadelphia’s top edge rusher might not return next season.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy Super Bowl festivities today? Apparently not!
There’s some Philadelphia Eagles news to discuss with the team giving Haason Reddick permission to seek a trade, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The phrasing there is important. It’s obviously not like the Eagles are trying to dump Reddick because he’s a liability. The guess here is that they’d prefer to have him back next season.
But the complication is that Reddick, who turns 30 in September, is entering the final year of the three-year, $45 million contract he signed back in March 2022. He already didn’t seem to be thrilled with his contract situation last year; the Camden, New Jersey native did not attend voluntary OTAs. He did not miss mandatory activities but he did say the following when asked if he felt underpaid:
“You all see it. You all see what’s going on. I’m worried about being the best version of myself, and then everything will sort itself out.”
Reddick has a right to feel like he deserves more money. There are currently 16 edge rushers who rank ahead of him in average salary. Reddick, meanwhile, has the fourth-most sacks generated (51) in the NFL over the last four seasons. (He might even have more sacks if Matt Patricia wasn’t obsessed with dropping him into coverage all too often at the end of last season.) Only T.J. Watt (62), Myles Garrett (58), and Trey Hendrickson (53) have more. Those guys rank second, fourth, and 10th, respectively, in average salary.
One would guess the Eagles and Reddick have talked about what a contract extension to keep him in Philly could look like. But that Reddick has been given permission to seek a trade indicates the two sides are not close to agreeing on new terms. This development could be part of the negotiation process with Reddick now potentially able to gauge what kind of money he can get from a new team willing to trade for him.
If the Eagles can get a very strong return for Reddick, there’s a case to be made for dealing him. There’s obviously risk in paying an aging player.
But trading Reddick would leave the Eagles pretty barren at a premium position. Their remaining edge rushers under contract:
- Josh Sweat
- Nolan Smith
- Patrick Johnson
- Tarron Jackson
- Terrell Lewis
Sweat improved every season prior to 2023, where he started strong and finished ice cold. Sweat had just one sack and two TFLs over his final eight games.
In theory, Smith profiles as a Reddick replacement. But the 2023 first-round pick only played 188 defensive snaps as a rookie. He is largely unproven and cannot merely be counted on to take a major leap in 2024.
Johnson played just 38 defensive snaps last season.
Jackson was on the practice squad the past two years.
Lewis signed to a futures contract earlier this year.
The Eagles can (and should) always bring back Brandon Graham … but he’ll only be able to give them so much as a role player in his age 36 season.
And so the Eagles better have a really good plan to replace Reddick’s production if they do end up moving on from him.
According to Over The Cap, trading Reddick prior to June 1 would only clear $1.2 million in cap space with about $20.7 million left in dead money. A trade after that point would split dead money between 2024 and 2025.
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