Bears could emerge as benefactors after disgruntled all-pro edge rusher requests trade

Hasson Reddick could be the duo for Montez Sweat the Bears have been looking for

The Chicago Bears revamped their pass rush at the 2023 trade deadline. Ryan Poles orchestrated a trade that landed the Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat in return for a second-round pick.

Since then the Bears have been looking for another powerful edge rusher to place opposite Sweat on the line. On Monday morning the Bears were handed a golden opportunity.

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported on X (formerly Twitter) that New York Jets edge rusher Hasson Reddick has requested a trade.

BREAKING: #Jets All-Pro pass rusher Haason Reddick, who is holding out, has informed the team he wants to be traded, per multiple sources. pic.twitter.com/A7zPUhIFFd

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 12, 2024

This news comes after months of reported issues during contract negotiations between Reddick and the Jets. 2024 Is the last year of Reddick’s contract and he is looking for an extension. It appears the Jets are not interested in meeting Reddick’s standards for an extension.

ESPN’s Rick Cimini reports that Reddick has not attended any Jets OTAs and has had no communication with Jets head coach Robert Saleh since being traded.

Cimini goes on to put the Hasson Reddick situation in the players perspective. Reddick is still producing at an elite level as a pass rusher. The Only players with more sacks in the past two years are Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Micha Parsons.

Haason Reddick's holdout reaches 19 days. Looking at it from his perspective …

He wants a contract commensurate with the top edge players. NFL sack leaders over the last 2 years (under his current contract):

Myles Garrett — 30 sacks ($25M APY)
Nick Bosa — 29 ($34M APY)…

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 10, 2024

Over the past four seasons, Reddick has recorded 50.5 sacks, fourth in the league over that timeframe.

Context on the Hasson Reddick situation

In April, the Philadelphia Eagles traded linebacker/edge rusher Hasson Reddick to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick that can become a second-round pick if specific terms are met.

Monday’s trade request marks the second time in sixth months that Reddick has requested a trade. Reddick also requested to be traded from the Eagles earlier this year for the same reason, contract extension disputes.

While Reddick is still a productive and consistent player, he is 29-years-old. Which may be making teams think twice before committing to long term contracts with Reddick.

Hasson Reddick’s fit with the Bears

Assuming Reddick keeps up a similar level of production to the past four years, he would be a great fit. Placing him on the opposite side of Montez Sweat would increase the danger of the Bears pass rush by ten-fold.

Reddick being on the field would mean that opposing linemen can longer longer double team Sweat without massive risk of letting Reddick run free, or vice versa.

An improvement in the pass rush department also makes the secondary’s job much easier. QBs have to make quick decisions when defensive linemen and linebackers are bearing down on them. These quick decisions often lead to mistakes, interceptions and incompletions at crucial moments. There is no doubt Hasson Reddick would improve the Bears pass rush, and indirectly the secondary as well.

The next question is, should the Bears sign him? Reddick has not spent a day with the New York Jets since arriving four months ago. There is also no way to know for sure what kind  of salary Reddick is looking for, and for how long. It can be assumed, like Cimini suggested above, that Reddick is looking ot be paid like the top defensive linemen in the NFL .

Myles Garrett has had similar production in the sack department over the last two years to Reddick. Garrett is currently under contract that pays him an average salary of $25 million per season for five years (expiring in 2026). While the two share comparable production, Garrett signed his current contract four years ago when he was 25-years-old. Reddick is currently 29-years-old, signing him to a contract like that would not be in the best interest of any NFL team, regardless of his production.

An aging defensive edge player will not be fetching numbers like Myles Garrett did back in 2020. Reddick still has the chance to make solid money in the NFL, he is a valuable player. But his expectations may be too high.

The Bears do have some cap space to work with, but with multiple injuries to the Bears offensive line in training camp, the Bears may look to invest on reinforcements there.

If Hasson Reddick is willing to take a more team friendly deal, Ryan Poles should get on the phone with the Jets and see what they might accept.

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