The 2024 season didn’t get off to the start that the New York Jets would have liked, as they lost on Monday Night Football to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Jets didn’t look bad at the start of the game, as it was fairly close for a while in the first half. But after that, the 49ers really controlled things on the ground and kept New York’s offense off the field for a long period time.
While there is no need for the Jets to panic after one game, there were a few areas of concern.
The major one is on the defensive side of the ball after New York allowed 147 rushing yards to Jordan Mason even as Christian McCaffrey sat out due to an injury.
The Jets being dominated on the ground like that was surprising to see, and in addition to the run defense not performing well, they also got barely any pressure on Brock Purdy.
After the game, it was clear New York was missing the presence of edge rusher Haason Reddick, as his holdout continues. Without a new deal in sight, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently spoke about the Arizona Cardinals being a good potential trade partner for the Jets.
“The Cardinals should be interested in bringing back Reddick, who spent the first four seasons of his career in Arizona. It's worth noting that head coach Jonathan Gannon was Reddick's defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles during his first Pro Bowl campaign in 2022. With $26.1 million in cap space available, the Cardinals could afford to give Reddick a new contract."
The Cardinals would be an interesting spot for the talented edge rusher, as that was the team that drafted him years ago.
Reddick took some time to get his feet under him in the NFL, as in his first three seasons with Arizona he only totaled 7.5 sacks. However, he finally broke out in his fourth year when he totaled 12.5 sacks.
While the Cardinals aren’t in a win-now mode, the talented defender is still on the right side of 30 years old and would be a big upgrade for their defense.
The connection with Arizona’s head coach Jonathan Gannon might also be an appealing one for Reddick, as he played for him on the Philadelphia Eagles.
For the Jets, the saga with their embattled edge rusher feels like it has gone on long enough.
The two sides have yet to get a deal done, and Reddick missing meaningful games has now hurt the team and become a distraction.
