The frustration of watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rushers struggle to get to the quarterback in any meaningful way in 2024 propelled general manager Jason Licht to look for a solution — any type of solution — that would bring his team an elite sack artist.
Licht found one in 2-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick, signing the embattled former NFL All-Pro to a 1-year, $14 million contract on March 10 to kick off the NFL’s legal tampering period.
With both team and player headed into 2025 with plenty on the line, ESPN singled out Licht’s “gamble” on Reddick as one of the NFL’s best moves of the offseason.
“Tampa Bay also took what I thought was a worthwhile gamble on Reddick at one year, $14 million,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote on July 10. “Reddick is coming off a lost season that featured a long contract standoff, 10 games played and only one sack. But Reddick has been an elite pass rusher (he posted double-digit sacks every year from 2020 to 2023) and could help Todd Bowles’ defense if he bounces back.”
Buccaneers Got One Of NFL’s Coveted Free Agents
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox had Reddick at No. 28 on his list of the Top 50 NFL free agents in the 2025 cycle.
“Haason Reddick’s forgettable lone season with the Jets did nothing to help his free-agency stock (in 2024),” Knox wrote on February 17. “He held out for a new contract for nearly half of the season, and he only made a marginal impact for the Jets upon his return. However, the 30-year-old has been a high-level producer before. Last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reddick amassed 11 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 35 quarterback pressures. He had four straight seasons of double-digit-sacks before he was traded to New York.”
Reddick coming to the Buccaneers took on extra meaning this week when reports surfaced that NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and could be on the PUP list to start the season — meaning he would miss a minimum of 4 games.
Without Wirfs, arguably the best player on the roster, the Buccaneers will need their defense to take on an even bigger role. That’s where Reddick could end being worth all of that $14 million and then some.
Contract Standoff Career Low Point For Reddick
The New York Jets traded a 2026 third round pick to the Eagles for Reddick in March 2024 and thought they were going to get a player who could be a difference maker for a team on the verge of playoff contention.
Reddick, unfortunately, thought he was getting a new contract. He held out of minicamp and training camp and requested a trade in August. Then, he missed the first 6 games of the regular season, incurring massive fines until he returned to the Jets for the final 10 games. He had his worst year since 2019 with just one sack as his team stumbled to a 5-12 record.
It was a bad look for Reddick, who was due to make almost $16 million in 2024 in the final season of the 3-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles in March 2022.
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