Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Haason Reddick deserves a raise, but there are several free-agent pass rushers available that could slow his search for a new deal.
If you are Haason Reddick, this is not the ideal time to look for a trade.
There should be no shortage of elite pass rushers on the free-agent market. That class includes Reddick, the pass rusher for the Philadelphia Eagles who has recorded four seasons with ten or more sacks.
The issue is that in order to get Reddick in a trade, a team looking to improve its rush would have to forfeit something of worth. There was a rumor that the Houston Texans may trade a second-round pick for him, but it was just conjecture and not grounded in truth.
Why would a team sign a free agent and not have to give anything up instead of doing that? Apart from money, of course, but if they struck a deal with the Eagles, they would have to give up that as well.
There are others, too, including, dare we say, Derek Barnett (Texans via Eagles), Za’Darius Smith (Cleveland Browns), Jonathan Greenard (Houston Texans), and a host of others.
Giving Reddick the significant pay increase he deserves would be the correct thing for the Eagles to do.
He will turn 30 this year, though, and they also have Josh Sweat, who turns 27 in March and is in the penultimate year of a three-year contract extension, and Nolan Smith, the second of their two first-round selections from last year.
Thus, the Eagles have a few worries.
Would Reddick choose to hold out from camp if he couldn’t find a trade partner and the Eagles didn’t offer him what he wanted?
Unlikely. Not with his passion for a team he grew up supporting in Camden, New Jersey, just over the Ben Franklin Bridge and across the river from Philadelphia.
According to reports, Reddick is seeking $25 million annually.
With contract talks for Sweat, DeVonta Smith, and Landon Dickerson, to mention three, coming up, the Eagles just cannot afford to pay that. Reddick is currently only the 21st-highest paid pass rusher, so action must be taken.