The New York Jets are making headlines for all the wrong reasons; something that is far too common for this franchise. Pass rusher Haason Reddick has publicly requested a trade amidst an ongoing contract dispute with the team. New York traded for Reddick just four months ago, and he has yet to even put on a Jets jersey.
I hate when players think they are above the team; that they don’t have to honor the contract they signed. Most of the time, players have no leverage (Reddick has already been fined over $2 million for blowing off practices), yet front offices give in so easily. I give Jets GM Joe Douglas credit for at least saying they have no intention of making another trade involving Reddick.
That being said, why trade for a player looking for a new contract if you have no intention of paying him? Douglas had to have known this would become a distraction when he made the deal, and this is just one of the many shortsighted decisions he’s made has the Jets’ GM.
Fans laud him for his 2022 draft, when the Jets picked up Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. These picks, I believe, are the only reason he’s still employed.
In 2020, he drafted Mekhi Becton in the first round, who was injured or out of shape for most of his Jets tenure. In all fairness, he was a great prospect that just didn’t work out. In 2021, he drafted one of the biggest busts of the 21st century in Zach Wilson. This pick was much less forgivable.
Anyone with a brain could see that the quarterback from BYU was not worthy of a second overall pick. Joe Douglas fell in love with him at the combine when he was throwing deep balls in shorts with no pressure. Outside of Trevor Lawrence, this wasn’t a great QB class, but that’s no reason to reach that early.
Now, 40-year-old future hall-of-famer Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback of the Jets in a desperate attempt not to waste the 2022 draft class. This was a move made to cover up past mistakes, and so far it has not worked out. Rodgers has already made about $38 million for just over a minute of play. He needs to stay healthy and take the Jets to their first playoff appearance in 14 years in order for this move to prove successful.
I sincerely believe that Joe Douglas is out if the Jets fail to make the playoffs in the 2024-2025 season.
Tough Money Sports 