Haason Reddick is seeing just what the business of being an NFL player is all about. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles' edge rusher was given permission to seek a trade, despite not requesting one himself.
“Never asked for a trade,” Reddick said, via his X account. “However, I do understand it’s a business. Preparing for whatever is next!”
Reddick's abrupt allowance to seek a potential new team comes at a peculiar time for the Eagles organization. After a successful 2022 season where Philadelphia came just shy of winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history, the 2023 season didn't end as well. While the Eagles made the playoffs as a Wild Card team, they lost the division late in the season, resulting in no home playoff game.
Several factors could have contributed to this, including injuries, coaching issues, and rumors that head coach Nick Sirianni had lost the locker room. After starting the season 10-1, the Eagles lost six of their last seven games, including a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.
Changes were bound to come, from staff adjustments to the player roster. Sirianni barely retained his own position, so it wasn't surprising to see him let go key assistants from last year's staff, including defensive coordinator Sean Desai and defensive play-caller Matt Patricia.
To replace them, Sirianni hired Vic Fangio, who was the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins last season. Therefore, bringing in a new defensive coordinator likely implementing a new scheme coupled with the fact that Philadelphia will be looking to add to their $20.8 million salary cap space, Riddick may have become the most expendable, or rather expensive.
Riddick is the most costly player on the Eagles roster next season. His $21.3 million cap hit accounts for 8.74 percent of Philadelphia's cap, according to spotrac. While his contract was backloaded to lower the Eagles' cap hit the last two seasons, none of his $16 million salary in 2024 is guaranteed. After a stellar season in last year and his contract set to expire after this season, it's no wonder Riddick wants a new deal.
In 2023, Reddick earned a defensive grade of 73.0, ranking him as the sixth-best Eagles defensive player, and a pass rush grade of 73.9, which was also sixth-best on the team, according to PFF. He recorded 68 total tackles, 13 sacks, 13 QB hits, and one forced fumble. These numbers make him an attractive trade target for teams in need of a talented edge rusher.
But what team might be willing to make a trade with the Eagles for the talented edge rusher?
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons could always attempt to go after Alabama's Dallas Turner in the 2024 NFL Draft should they decided not go after a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick. Regardless, the Falcons are going to need to find some sort of pass rush either through the draft or free agency. Both defensive end Calais Campbell and outside linebacker Bud Dupree are set to hit free agency in March. What the Falcons — and any team for that matter — are willing to give up is perhaps the biggest question in these potential trade teams. Reddick would be a nice addition to new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were won of the worst in defensive sacks in the league last season, ranking 30th with 33 sacks. That likely isn't what Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was hoping for in his first season in the desert. But, the Cardinals are obviously in the middle of a rebuild, meaning that trading for Reddick could be a big a move while answering some questions for the team. Financially, it helps that Arizona has $44.6 million in cap space. It also helps that Gannon was Reddick's former defensive coordinator with the Eagles.
Washington Commanders
Speaking of cap space, no team has more of it in the league than the Commanders next season with $83.5 million. That means that if they want to be, they can go out and do a little free-spending, so to speak. The Commanders will be welcoming in new head coach Dan Quinn, the former defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He just spent the last couple years with Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence. Quinn won't have that in Washington in 2024, at least not on the outside. The biggest question may be, though, would the Eagles be willing to trade within their own division?
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