The Philadelphia Eagles made a huge splash last season when they signed LB Haason Reddick. The Birds knew the kind of player that they were getting in Reddick as he was coming off back-to-back seasons where he posted double-digit sacks in Arizona and Carolina.
The move didn’t shock many as both the franchise and Reddick have been linked to one another for years but it was the deal that caught many off guard. Philadelphia got a hometown discount when signing Reddick to a 3-year contract worth $45 million.
Ideally, that isn’t a bad contract at all but for the way that Reddick plays and was used in the defense last season, there could be a concern that the Eagles top pass rusher feels a bit underpaid.
Where does Haason Reddick rank among the NFL’s elite?
To put in context what Reddick is worth would be to understand where he ranked among pass rushers. While Nick Bosa led the league in sacks last season with 18.5, Redick followed close behind as he tied with Myles Garrett to finish the regular season with 16 sacks. That was the second-most sacks in the league back in 2022.
If we’re comparing apples to apples then just off of that alone and the fact that Reddick finished with double digits sacks for three straight years on three different teams, which is an NFL record, then he is grossly underpaid.
The top 5 edge contracts in the NFL are as follows:
T.J. Watt ($28 million APY)
Joey Bosa ($27 million APY)
Myles Garrett ($25 million APY)
Maxx Crosby ($23.5 million APY)
Khalil Mack ($23.5 million APY)
Haason Reddick is only making $15 million APT and is the 15th highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL. As you can see there’s quite a gap between a player who posted 16+ sacks last season, if you count the postseason, and the top guys at his position.
Can the Eagles afford to give Haason Reddick a bump in pay?
But there is a big obstacle between all of this money and Haason Reddick. Haason is caught in the middle of a hybrid role where he plays LB and also plays Edge. The NFL has always had issues with figuring out how to pay these special players. For example, LeVeon Bell wanted to be paid as a RB as well as a WR for the way that Pittsburgh was using him.
While it was foolish to take a year away because of it, the fact of the matter is that we did deserve the money he was asking for. Now I’m not saying that Haason should pull a LeVeon Bell but there has to be a middle ground here. Without Reddick’s production last season there may not be a Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles.
He’s not your ordinary edge rusher. Reddick not only looks for the sack when going after opposing quarterbacks but he keeps his eyes on the ball in hopes of causing game-changing turnovers which he did 3-4 times last season.
The Eagles are in a very unique position because Reddick didn’t go looking for trouble. He was asked a question and answered it as professionally as possible. The man is underpaid for what he brings to this team but can the Eagles navigate through the issue of paying a hybrid player properly?
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
