NFL in Hot Water Over Controversial Jets ‘Revenge’ Graphic

The NFL released the full schedule for the New York Jets and the rest of the league on Wednesday, May 14.

Part of the marketing included a top 10 revenge game graphic from the NFL GameDay account on X previously Twitter account. One of the games they featured was the Week 3 matchup between the Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The reason for the revenge? New Bucs defender Haason Reddick is facing off against his old team, the Jets.

Revenge on the mind😈 pic.twitter.com/HSpaccHCps

— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) May 15, 2025

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That was met with immediate outrage on social media from Jets fans.

“What is Reddick getting revenge for… if anything it’s a revenge game for the Jets versus Reddick😂😂😂,” NFL analyst Will Parkinson responded on social media.

A fan openly asked, “Reddick is getting revenge for…. not showing up for work. Then showing up for work and being awful?”

“Reddick literally stole from the Jets, hardly revenge game,” another fan said, questioning the legitimacy of the graphic.

“Oh, I get it. It’s the Jets getting revenge on Reddick for stealing money from them. That makes sense,” a fan responded, trying to make sense of it.

Reddick-Revenge Angle Is Beyond Ridiculous

Last offseason, the Jets tried to make an all-in move.

They flipped a conditional 2026 third-round pick for Reddick in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reddick was one of the most accomplished pass rushers in the league with 50.5 sacks over his prior four years before landing on the Jets in 2024.

The trade made sense on paper for the Jets. However, contractual issues created massive drama that resulted in Reddick holding out from the team for months.

Reddick returned to the team in late October. However, it proved to be too little, too late. He appeared in 10 games and made two starts. With those opportunities, Reddick finished with just one sack, three quarterback hits, and two tackles for loss.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini called it one of the “worst” trades in Jets team history.

Reddick left the Jets as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, joining Tampa Bay in free agency.

Surprisingly, Reddick landed a one-year deal for $14 million. Following his disastrous year with the Jets, there were questions about whether he would even be on an NFL team in 2025.

Instead, he ended up being one of the first free agents to sign when the legal tampering window opened. Go figure.

There Are Plenty of Other Good Storylines for This Matchup

If the NFL is desperate for a revenge storyline for Jets-Bucs, it exists.

Todd Bowles got his first NFL head coaching job with the Jets. He lasted four seasons and finished with a 24-40 overall record.

After refining himself as a defensive coordinator with Tampa Bay, he was eventually promoted to head coach, replacing Bruce Arians.

Bowles already has more wins (27) in three years with the Bucs than he did in four years with the Jets (24). He also has won the NFC South crown three times in a row heading into 2025.

If you squint at the roster, you can find several former Jets like cornerback Bryce Hall or placekicker Chase McLaughlin.

NFL, if you want a revenge angle, look through a different aisle of this shopping center. Reddick doesn’t count.

Reddick met the revised playing time incentives with the Jets, which allowed him to walk away with $9.5 million, Cimini said on the “Flight Deck” podcast.

Ugh disgusting…

ESPN’s Rich Cimini confirmed that Haason Reddick met his playing time incentives with the #Jets & will make $9.5 million this season. 🤢🤮

Haason Reddick is the only edge player in the league without a full sack (minimum 175 pass rushes), per @NextGenStats. 😳… pic.twitter.com/dojVpOphKN

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) January 1, 2025

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