Haason Reddick Being Traded Is Not A Forgone Conclusion
When the news broke on Sunday that the Eagles had granted Haason Reddick permission to seek a trade, many in the city assumed he was as good as gone. But there may still be hope that the Eagles’ best pass rusher remains in Midnight Green next season. What they are doing, is letting him shop around to find out how teams value him. Eventually, he will come back to the Eagles, and they will decide if they are willing g to pay him what he wants. If not, then he will be traded. But it is also possible he returns with a new deal. One more appropriate for having the 3rd most sacks in the NFL across the last 4 seasons.
Jordan Schultz from Bleacher Report talked to Haason Reddick, who confirmed this is the case. He told Schultz that he never requested a trade, and would like to return to Philly next season.
Reddick later Quote Tweeted this to confirm that he never requested a trade. He wants to be an Eagle. He just wants to be paid what he is worth. Right now he is 17th among edge-rushers in AAV. On his current contract, he makes on average $15 million per season. Which is a lot to the rest of us. But for a guy racking up double-digit sacks every season, it is a bargain for the Eagles.
Several Eagles reporters pointed this out before the 2023 season began. And Reddick, to his credit, never made too much noise about it during the season. He just quietly carried on with his business and had his 4th straight double-digit sack season. But now that the season is over, and his deal has only 1 year left on it, he wants a raise. And he probably deserves one.
The same thing happened with Darius Slay last season. They let him shop around to see what other teams would pay him. They wound up cutting him, but then re-signing him to a new deal. And by doing so they actually lowered his cap hit last year. They could do the same with Reddick. As of now, his cap hit for 2024 will be about $21 million. They could give him the raise he wants, but still lower his cap hit for this season. It is something Howie Roseman does a lot by backloading contracts to save money in the present.
We know D-Line is a position where Howie is willing to spend. So he is likely willing to pay a guy that type of money. But one obstacle could be the other upcoming players they have to re-sign. Josh Sweat is on an expiring contract, and both Devonta Smith and Landon Dickerson need extensions. So making the money work for all of them could be tough. But while rebuilding their defense, you are going to want to hold onto your most effective pass rusher. So whatever it takes, the Eagles probably need to find a way to keep Reddick in Philly.
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9 Dates You Need To Know For The Eagles Off-Season
February 20th- March 5th- Period Teams Can Use The Franchise Tag
Starting on February 20th, teams can start using their franchise tag. In the Eagles case, they don’t exactly have any candidates they would consider using the tag on. In fact, they haven’t used the tag on a player since 2012. It is just not how they tend to do business. But there are several notable pending free agents the Eagles may be interested in that could be tagged. Notably Antoine Winfield. So while we won’t need to watch out for who the Eagles tag, the way other teams use their tags could impact the Eagles’ plans.
February 27-March 4- NFL Scouting Combine
At the end of February, and into the start of March, the Combine takes place. It is the unofficial start of Draft Season. Teams get to not only see players work out, but it is one of the first chances they get to really sit down and talk to players. And it can have a real impact on where players get drafted. Every year there will be a few guys who suddenly shoot up the draft boards because of how impressive their workout is. Likewise, we have seen guys fall down the boards because they had a poor showing. Kyle Hamilton is an example of a player who had a disappointing combine and then fell lower than maybe people thought he would.
March 7-April 26- Teams Can Conduct In Person And Telephone Interviews With Draft Eligible Players
Starting March 7th, NFL teams can start conducting interviews with players. But there are rules to how many players you can talk to. Teams are only allowed to host 30 players in their facilities. And they are not allowed to conduct private workouts with them, only physicals. They can host telephone and video interviews with more than that. But only 3 times per player, and for no more than 1 hour per interview.
