The Philadelphia Eagles completed a trade of veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick to the New York Jets last week, and he released a statement saying goodbye to Philadelphia.

“Philadelphia, saying ‘thank you' is not enough to express my gratitude for the love and support you showed me in my time as an Eagles,” Haason Reddick said in his statement. “Bird gang, it was an honor to play for you, as your love for the game and your city is a feat to behold. To my teammates, brothers forever. New challenges and teams will never sever the bond of friendship made on and off the field. To the Eagles organization, thank you for the opportunity to play in my home city. This was a dream for any kid growing up in Camden. To my family, you are the backbone of my life. Without you, I would have never been able to achieve my dreams. New York and #ganggreen, I'm excited for the next step in this journey. I cannot wait to get to work!”

It is an interesting deal between the Eagles and Jets, as they essentially have swapped edge rushers this offseason. The Eagles signed Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million contract in free agency with $34 million guaranteed. Bryce Huff exploded in 2023 for 10 sacks after not doing much in his first three seasons. He is also entering his age 26 season, compared to Reddick going into his age 30 season.

Reddick has the better and more lengthy track record, but is on the older side and will likely command a bigger extension than the deal Huff got. The Jets are going all in with Aaron Rodgers and brought in a more proven edge rusher.

The concern with Huff is that he is viewed by many as a player who might just be a pass rush specialist. He did not play much against the run, as the Jets did not believe in him being an every down player. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles utilize him and how he fares.

Haason Reddick's career

Reddick has played with three teams throughout his career so far, and the Jets will be his fourth. His first four seasons were spent with the Arizona Cardinals, and his fourth season in 2020 is when he put it all together, recording 12.5 sacks, according to Pro Football Reference. That season, he was moved to outside linebacker, which is a position that utilized his skill set better.

For the 2021 season, Reddick played on a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers and proved that his 2020 season was not a fluke, recording 11 sacks.

The next two seasons were spent with the Eagles, and in 2022, he had his best year, recording 16 sacks as part of a historic pass rush that helped Philadelphia reach the Super Bowl. In 2023, Reddick was good once again with 11 sacks, although it was not as good of a season as 2022 was.

For someone who only spent two seasons with the Eagles, he will go down as one of the more liked players. It will be interesting to see how he fares with the Jets.