The New York Jets, to be frank, are a mess. Sure, it is only Week Six and there is plenty of the 2024 NFL season left to be played, but no team has fired their head coach midseason and still gone on to make the playoffs. New York is hopeful they can make some history after firing Robert Saleh and making defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich their interim head coach.
At 2-3, they are still very much in the playoff picture. However, the offense, led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, needs to play better. Yesterday, Ulbrich announced that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will no longer be calling the offensive plays. Instead, passing game coordinator Todd Downing will be relaying plays to Rodgers.
This latest development is just one example of how the Jets woefully overestimated their personnel for the 2024 season. Another example is the Haason Reddick holdout, which as it turns out may not be completely their fault.
New York Jets General Manager Joe Douglas Has Come Under Fire Due to the Hasson Reddick Trade
The Jets sent a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles for disgruntled linebacker Haason Reddick. The two-time Pro Bowler has four-straight seasons of double-digit sacks, totaling 27.0 in his two seasons with the Eagles.
At the time of the trade, it was well-known that Reddick wanted a contract extension. Douglas gave Reddick the Jets’ offer, which he turned down. New York’s general manager, however, thought that the two parties would be able to work something out during the offseason activities and/or training camp.
But Reddick didn’t show up to those.
The Jets have a policy that states they will not negotiate with players that are holding out. If Reddick wanted a new contract, all he had to do was show up and the Jets would engage in extension talks. Still, Douglas received plenty of criticism for acquiring a player who obviously does not want to play.
Not only did Reddick skip all of the mandatory offseason and preseason programs, he also has not played in any of their five games. At this point, his holdout has cost him $9 million in forfeited game checks and fines.
And, most recently, his agency.
New York Jets Linebacker Haason Reddick Gets Dropped by His Agency
According to multiple reports, CAA has dropped Reddick as a client. He now is representing himself with now agent to handle any negotiations:
This development exonerates Douglas, but only slightly. On the one hand, he should have had a better idea of what he and the Jets were getting into when they traded for Reddick.
But on the other hand, it is plainly obvious that his agent wanted him to report to the team. At what point he was encouraged by his agent to report is not known, but CAA obviously does not want to deal with him anymore.
At this point, the holdout is squarely on Reddick’s shoulders. Douglas can be blamed for acquiring him in the first place, but he has toed the company line by not engaging in negotiations with him until he report to the team.
Which, at this point, may never happen.