Disgruntled New York Jets edge rusher Haason Reddick has been one of the most talked about names in regard to potential Aidan Hutchinson replacements for the Detroit Lions in the wake of the star edge rushers season-ending injury.
It wasn’t totally clear if the Jets would trade Reddick, even though the two sides are in a contract standoff going into Week 7, but The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that New York has given Reddick permission to seek a trade.
That’s obviously great news for the Lions if they are interested in bringing Reddick in, but there are still hurdles that must be jumped before a trade can be completed, including meeting whatever the Jets’ demands are for compensation, and meeting Reddick’s demands in a contract extension.
But those aren’t the only things in the way of a potential trade between the Lions and Jets.
Josina Anderson reports that the 2026 third-round pick the Jets sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Reddick trade earlier this year will become a second-round pick if New York trades the veteran edge rusher to an NFC team, which means the Jets will be much more inclined to trade him within the conference.
The only way the Lions could possibly sway the Jets to reconsider would be to up the compensation in a potential deal. As things stand now, Reddick is likely to garner a third-round selection, at most, but perhaps giving up a second-round selection in 2025 or 2026 would be enough.
Considering how badly the Lions need an impact pass-rusher — and especially one that has the proven, impressive track record Reddick has — it’s not entirely crazy to think general manager Brad Holmes could bite on such a deal.
Reddick’s trade value isn’t far off from that, either, as a pass-rusher like Reddick who has tallied double-digit sacks in each of the last four years can be very expensive on the trade market.
The problem, however, is that trading for Reddick will likely come in tandem with having to extend him beyond 2024. Detroit would likely be looking at an extension that pays somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million per year, which should also cause the Jets to take a hit in compensation for Reddick.
Having to send a second-rounder and ink Reddick to a big extension might not be something Holmes and the Lions feel comfortable doing. But, again, nothing should be off the table with Detroit gunning for a Super Bowl.