The Philadelphia Eagles granted edge rusher Haason Reddick permission to seek a trade, possibly signaling the end of his time in Philadelphia. Reddick has been productive since joining the Eagles in the 2022 offseason, totaling 87 tackles, 27 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles in his two seasons with the team. It’s worth noting Reddick didn’t ask for a trade. Philadelphia did something similar last offseason with CB Darius Slay, allowing his camp to explore his options with other teams before the Eagles ultimately extended him. It looks like the Eagles are handling Reddick in the same way, as this is a tricky contract situation. Reddick is from the area and would want to stay in Philadelphia all things equal, but he has made it clear he will seek to maximize his value. At 29 years old, this might be his last chance for a significant contract. Reddick’s age is also part of what makes this situation complicated for the Eagles, and different from the negotiations with Slay. Last year, the Eagles were thin at corner and could hardly afford to lose Slay. Conversely, Philadelphia has been investing heavily in edge rusher depth recently and has some younger players who could thrive in larger roles. Nolan Smith, one of their 2023 first-round picks, could be ready for a breakout season, and the Eagles have indicated an extension for Josh Sweat is also a priority as he enters a contract year. 14-year veteran Brandon Graham said he wants to play another year as well. THERE’S a needle to thread here from the Eagles’ perspective. If they don’t feel comfortable extending Reddick, they have an opportunity to exchange him for a cost-controlled draft pick and still be in good shape at edge rusher. They have to weigh if that’s worth giving up arguably their best pass rusher. There’s little cap relief from a trade. According to Over The Cap, Reddick will count $21.8 million against the cap in 2024, the final year of his deal, with $14.3 million of that a non-guaranteed base salary. If traded, Reddick would count for $20.7 million in dead money due to his prorated signing bonus accelerating to 2024. That would mean only $1.2 million in cap savings. A post-June 1 trade would lessen the dead money hit to just $5.9 million in 2024 and save the Eagles dramatically more on the cap. Few teams would have the space to handle Reddick’s $14 million salary that late in the offseason. From a cap perspective, an extension for Reddick would actually create the most flexibility — at least in 2024. Any team looking to trade for Reddick would need to part with some high-value Day 2 draft capital to make it happen. While the high second-round pick Washington got for edge rusher Montez Sweat is likely off the table, as Reddick is older than Sweat and plays a more specialized role, a late second-rounder could be in play. At minimum, a third-round pick combined with a Day 3 pick would seem to be the floor for a potential deal. The Eagles could also try and recoup a better pick by packaging Reddick with a mid-round pick of their own. Additionally, any team trading for Reddick would immediately sign him to an extension as his contract is the catalyst for this whole situation. No exact demands have been articulated, but it’s reasonable to think Reddick wants a bump from his $15 million average annual salary — perhaps more than $20 million a year, in line with players with similar pedigrees at his position. An extension would lower his cap hit for this upcoming season, lessening the burden for an acquiring team. Keeping all this in mind, let’s look at Reddick’s potential destinations, the teams with the cap space, draft capital and a big enough need for a pass rusher to pay up:
- Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is in a unique position this offseason. They have a new head coach in Raheem Morris and a massive question mark at the quarterback position. They also have a strong roster, with a core of elite young skill players, a great offensive line and an up-and-coming defense. As exciting as many of their defensive playmakers are, this is probably the weakest edge group in the NFL. Arnold Ebiketie is the only decent rotational player currently on the roster for next year. Last season, OLB Bud Dupree was one of the Falcons’ marquee free agent signings, but he did not have a great season. Even if they decide to resign him, they’ll want to bring in additional help at the position. This group lacks a star or even a quality starter to anchor the unit. The Falcons enter the offseason with $25.1 million in cap space and few pending free agents. Cutting TE Jonnu Smith, QB Taylor Heinicke and perhaps even DT Grady Jarrett would clear $20 million in additional cap space. Some of that could go to DT Calais Campbell, who indicated he wants to keep playing and is someone Atlanta would presumably want back to help fortify the interior of their defensive line. Everyone else is a rotational player who they’ll let walk or bring back on the cheap.
- Detroit Lions
The Lions stand out as one of Reddick’s most likely landing spots, should he actually leave Philadelphia. They’ve been lacking production from the edge position opposite 2022 No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson. Reddick would provide a strong counterpunch to their homegrown star. Detroit is set to have over $44 million in cap space this offseason, and can create even more depending on how they structure their extension for veteran QB Jared Goff. The Lions’ second-round pick, No. 61 overall, falls right in the perfect range for this deal, if they’re interested. They also have two third round picks at No. 73 and No. 92 to work with.
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