When it comes to doing harm to your own career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher Haason Reddick taught a master class in 2024.
After a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Jets in March 2024, Reddick overplayed his hand, held out for the first 7 games of the season over his lack of a contract extension and cost himself a bag in the process.
If Reddick would have just managed to play a full season for the Jets — and produced even somewhat close to his previous levels — he may have come close to matching former teammate Josh Sweat’s 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Instead, Reddick had just 1 sack and 3 QB hits in the 10 games he did play in and signed a 1-year, $14 million contract with Tampa Bay on March 10.
The 2025 season may now represent the 30-year-old’s last chance to set up a huge payday, although some of that money may already be out the window no matter what.
It’s all part of why Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put Reddick on his list of NFL players with the “Most on the Line” in 2025.
“There was a time when Haason Reddick was considered one of the better veteran edge-rushers in the NFL — and that time was a year ago,” Davenport wrote on May 10. “From 2020 to 2023, Reddick logged at least 11 sacks in four straight seasons, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods. But after being traded to the New York Jets last year, Reddick held out for a new contract—and it was a disaster. The 30-year-old wound up playing in 10 games for the Jets, but managed just a single sack.”
Bucs Made Reddick Priority in Free Agency
Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht went directly at Reddick in free agency, signing him on the first day teams and players were officially allowed to have contact.
The move shored up the biggest weakness on Tampa Bay’s defense in 2024. Third-year edge rusher YaYa Diaby has 12.0 sacks through his first 2 seasons and could form a potent 1-2 punch with Reddick.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox had Reddick at No. 28 on his list of the Top 50 NFL free agents in the 2025 cycle.
“Haason Reddick’s forgettable lone season with the Jets did nothing to help his free-agency stock (in 2024),” Knox wrote on February 17. “He held out for a new contract for nearly half of the season, and he only made a marginal impact for the Jets upon his return. However, the 30-year-old has been a high-level producer before. Last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reddick amassed 11 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 35 quarterback pressures. He had four straight seasons of double-digit-sacks before he was traded to New York.”
How Much Holding Out With Jets Cost Reddick
To make matters worse, Reddick decided to hold out in a year when he was scheduled to make approximately $15.8 million — money the Jets were going to be more than happy to pay him in the final season of the 3-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles in March 2022.
Instead, he thought it was a better idea to accumulate a staggering $8 million in fines after he reportedly turned down an offer to have his pay increased to $20 million in 2024.
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