NFL rules protect Jets from further embarrassment amid unresolved Haason Reddick saga

The New York Jets attempted to bolster their defense by signing outside linebacker Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At the time, the trade was glossed over by the national media during a busy offseason. Since then, the transaction has become one of the most bizarre deals in NFL history.

Reddick was looking for an “adjustment” on his expiring contract, which was one of the main reasons Philadelphia traded the pass rusher and the Jets were able to acquire him at a relatively low cost. When teams trade a player as part of a contract dispute, they typically set the terms of a new deal before completing the trade. New York inexplicably failed to do this before acquiring Reddick.

The Jets decided they would not negotiate until a player reported to camp, and Reddick decided he would not report until a new deal was finalized. With neither side willing to budge, Reddick never contacted his new team and officially requested a trade in August.

On a recent episode of the Flight Deck podcast, ESPN’s Rich Cimini expressed that Reddick may be ready to return to Philadelphia.

“Let’s put it this way: A little birdie told me that I don’t think Reddick would be against something like that,” Cimini said. “I think Reddick is so frustrated with the Jets’ situation – and of course he requested a trade in August – that he wouldn’t mind going back to Philadelphia. A lot of things would have to fit together, huh.” That’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s still an interesting situation to look at.

Even if Reddick was willing to return to Philadelphia, it would be impossible for the Jets to trade him back to the Eagles. Luckily for New York, the NFL rulebook would save them from humiliation. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted, NFL rules prohibit teams from acquiring a player back in a trade for two years after initially trading him away.

The NFL and NFLPA collective bargaining agreement states: “A player who has been traded may not return to the club that made such action until the expiration of two seasons, including the season of the year in which he left the club has taken hold.”

There are exceptions to the rule:

None of these exceptions apply in this scenario, so the only way for the Eagles to re-acquire Reddick would be as a free agent. At this point, there is no reason in New York to release him. Reddick will be fined $800,000 for each game he misses and could lose over $21 million over the course of the season. If he fails to report and record an accrued season, his rights for the 2025 season would still belong to the Jets.

In 2023, Reddick received a run defense grade of 63.7 from Pro Football Focus. Despite ranking 45th among all qualified edge rushers, the seven-year veteran also recorded the 14th most snaps and excelled against pulling guards and gap schemes. According to Shane Haff of Edge of Philly Sports, Reddick recorded 13 tackles for loss and had an average tackle depth of 0.4 yards.

Reddick was scheduled to make $14.2 million in 2024, which was the final year of his three-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles in 2022.