Eagles trading Pro Bowl pass rusher Haason Reddick to Jets for draft pick

PHILADELPHIA — After weeks of uncertainty surrounding his future with the Eagles, Haason Reddick is on the move.

The Eagles are trading the 29-year-old edge rusher to the New York Jets for a conditional 2026 third-round pick, a league source confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer. ESPN was first to report the news on Friday.

According to ESPN, the selection in 2026 becomes a second-round pick if Reddick plays 67.5% of the defensive snaps and registers at least 10 sacks. Reddick has eclipsed those benchmarks in each of his last four seasons, but the Jets boast a deep group of edge rushers that will be used in a rotation.

Reddick, a native of Camden who played his college ball at Temple, is going into the final year of his contract and is seeking a new deal. The NFL Network reported that Reddick is expected to sign a new contract with the Jets following the trade.

He agreed to sign with the Eagles as a free agent on March 14, 2022, later inking a three-year deal worth up to $45 million. Reddick quickly outperformed his contract as one of the league’s most productive pass rushers, collecting 27 sacks in the last two seasons (ranked seventh in the NFL in that span). He posted a career-high 16 sacks in 2022, adding another 3 1/2 in three playoff games to help the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. However, his average annual value currently ranks 17th among edge rushers, according to Over The Cap.

In February, the Eagles granted Reddick permission to seek a trade this offseason. Not only was Reddick, who turns 30 in September, looking for a new contract, but he was also slated to be the highest-paid player on the Eagles roster in 2024 with a $21.8 million cap hit.

A trade appeared imminent once the team signed former New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million deal and restructured the final year of Josh Sweat’s contract to give him $10 million in guaranteed money.

With Reddick no longer in the room, the Eagles will determine how they want to distribute the snaps in 2024. While the 27-year-old Sweat started alongside Reddick, playing 71% of the snaps, his production dropped off as the season progressed, finishing with 6 1/2 sacks. Meanwhile, Huff was only on the field for 42% of the defensive snaps last season, just the third-most among Jets edge rushers. Huff, who turns 26 in April, has yet to play more than 51% of the defensive snaps in a single season.

Nolan Smith, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 draft by the Eagles out of Georgia, will contend for an increased role in his second year with the defense. Last season, Smith played just 16% of the defensive snaps, finishing with a sack and three quarterback hits.

The Eagles also re-signed Brandon Graham to a one-year deal, ushering in his 15th season with the team. Graham, who turns 36 in April, registered three sacks on 34% of the defensive snaps. They also added a pair of edge rushers in Zack Baun and Julian Okwara in free agency.

During his time in Philadelphia, Reddick earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods and one second-team All-Pro selection (2022). He is one of just two players in the league, along with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, to finish each of their last four seasons with double-digit sacks. He will also be remembered for his strip sack on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the NFC championship game that helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.