With just four weeks remaining in a disappointing season, the New York Jets will likely begin shifting their focus to their future as a franchise.
One player who the team will have to make a decision on in the offseason is edge rusher Haason Reddick. The Jets originally acquired Reddick in April for a conditional third-round pick. After being acquired, Reddick held out from the team up until Week 8 of the 2024 season as he pursued a new contract.
Since joining the team, Reddick has failed to make an impact on the stat sheet. In six appearances, he has just eight combined tackles and 0.5 sacks. Despite his issues, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich came to Reddick's defense in a press conference during the week.
“Everything that we thought we were getting with him, everything that we had seen on tape that made us pursue him as hard as we did, has showed up,” said Ulbrich. “It’s just been a byproduct of a lot of things. Maybe just still getting familiar with what we do, so I don’t think it’s a physical thing so much as the [opportunities]."
“For pass rushers to get production, you need to have substantial leads, and you need to have leads throughout the game so that you could really let your rushers go, and we haven’t had enough of those opportunities for him and for our entire D-line, for that matter," continued Ulbrich.
Reddick will have four more chances in 2024 to prove himself worthy of the type of contract he was originally holding out for.
