Eagles-Haason Reddick Breakup Starts to Get Messy

The Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly decided to part ways with veteran pass rusher Haason Reddick last week, trading him to the New York Jets for a 2026 draft pick. 

The decision to move on from Reddick was somewhat expected after the Eagles restructured Josh Sweat’s contract and signed Bryce Huff to a three-year deal. However, some Eagles fans thought there was a chance that the two sides could find a middle ground.

But that wasn’t the case and now Reddick will look to have his fifth-straight consecutive season with double-digit sacks in the Big Apple.

Speaking of sacks, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer brought up an interesting tidbit on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday about why Reddick’s time with the team might’ve been coming to an end.

The Eagles beat reporter said over the airwaves that “there were some concerns about him chasing sacks.” McLane continued “I don’t know that is what specifically Fletcher Cox was referencing, but I heard from people in the organization that Haason was one of the guys they thought that was doing it.”

That is a strong statement for McLane to make, as it gives off the illusion that Reddick was only worried about getting his numbers and not about the overall team. 

However, McLane added, “You can look at this both ways – did [Reddick] feel under these circumstances like he had to get a higher number of sacks because he had to get paid in the offseason. You understand why guys are doing that because sacks are so important to how they get paid.”

Now when you look at this hypothetical situation from Reddick’s point of view, it makes sense as an edge rusher’s production is based on sacks, pressures, and tackles for loss. Last season, he started the season slow due to thumb surgery that he underwent in August.

Reddick’s play eventually picked up as he recorded 11 sacks between Weeks 4-14, but he didn’t have a sack for the rest of the season, which is alarming. At the same time, the Eagles were switching defensive coordinators, which didn’t help anyone last season.

That said, it will be interesting to see how things play out for Reddick as he’s playing for a new deal with the Jets or another team looking for a premier pass rusher.

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