Who saw this coming on Super Bowl Sunday? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles have granted superstar OLB/EDGE Haason Reddick permission to seek a trade.
Mike Garofolo would later expand on the report citing that the pass-rusher would likely be pushing for an extension.
What’s going on with Haason Reddick?
Since being poached from the Carolina Panthers in free agency, the hometown hero has been nothing short of a game-changer in Philadelphia. He followed up a 16-sack campaign in 2022 with an 11-sack season in what was an otherwise disappointing 2023 under a new defensive coordinator. Reddick was one of the few bright spots in a lackluster defense and as the report mentions, is now entering his contract year.
Reddick bet on himself last year by not pounding the table for an extension. There were a few subtle hints early on of him knowing his worth, with the dominant defender stating the following during a Training Camp interview: (Hat Tip Jeff Kerr of CBS)
“I mean, I ain’t gonna sit here and … like I said, y’all see it, y’all know what’s going on,” Reddick said with a laugh after Eagles practice Tuesday. “I’m just worried about being the best version of myself and I’ll let everything else sort itself out — truly.”
He’s not wrong, either. According to PFF, Reddick had a grade of 75.2 and ranked 12th in the league in sacks. Given that this defense was far from prone to blitzing, it’s astounding that the former Temple Owl was still able to be as impressive as he was.
Can the Eagles afford a Haason Reddick extension?
However, Reddick is on the nose to earn a base salary of $14.5M this season and carries a cap hit of $21M. While the Eagles aren’t struggling for cap space right now, they also have to be aware that Jalen Hurts’ $255M contract is going to start weighing on them soon, with his cap hit rising to $21M in 2025, and $31M in 2026.
On top of having to secure futures for players such as DeVonta Smith and handle A.J Brown’s contract, the Eagles will have a few key young players nearing the end of their rookie deals by the time the meat of the Jalen Hurts contract comes into play. Guys like Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter will be sniffing around potential extensions in a couple of years, and the Eagles did just draft Nolan Smith, who picked up speed toward the end of the season.
There is no doubt that Haason Reddick is worth every penny of his current deal. His relentlessness as a pass-rusher has been invaluable to the Eagles over the last two years, but if they don’t think they will be able to afford his deserved payday, it definitely makes sense to cash in while they can and reinvest the assets gained, although losing him would be absolutely devastating.
What would the Eagles need to pay him?
Reddick’s current AAV ranks him 25th among all defensive ends. This is a HUGE underpay, and he knows it. The 2017 draft pick has consistently performed like a top-10 pass rusher and has put up 4 consecutive seasons of 10+ sacks. All the value is on the side of the Eagles right now…
A good benchmark would be a player like Montez Sweat (10th highest-paid at $24M AAV). He had 6.5 sacks in 2023. Reddick clearly deserves more than that. So if you’re looking at a contract of $25M+ for Reddick to really get what he’s worth, do the Eagles have the capacity to facilitate that without compromising the rest of the roster?
That’s why we don’t get paid the big bucks, but it’s definitely interesting that Howie Roseman is keen to send out feelers to get an idea of what sort of value he could get on a Haason Reddick trade.
Do you think the Eagles should pay Haason Reddick, or trade him?
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
