While the Jets got some good news today with Mike Williams being activated from the PUP list after he passed his physical, another new Jets acquisition in Hassan Reddick continues his holdout.
NFL veterans participating in a holdout are required fines for their absence. Holdout players owe $50,000 per day for unexcused absences during camp, and $100,000 for missing mandatory minicamp. Reddick missed minicamp, along with the first 15 days of training camp, bringing his total fines to $850,000.
On top of that, the Jets can add up to $300,000 to that total through discretionary fines, and after Coach Robert Salah said he "assumes" the team will levy that right, we should expect Reddick's total fines to amass just over $1 million, assuming he were to end this holdout today.
It's getting to the point where Reddick is better off biting the bullet, and taking whatever the Jets are offering him, or just play on his current deal and continue negotiations next offseason. While it is certainly unfair to Reddick that he can essentially be priced out of his holdout through fines, it is understandable why the Jets top brass appears to hold a very staunch position in both their negotiations with Reddick as well as their right to exercise the discretionary fines, especially for a player who has yet to participate in a practice for the team, let alone play for them.
Unfortunately for the Jets, they need Reddick more than Reddick needs them as this is by any estimation the most important season for Gang Green in about 15 years. If this holdout persists through the remainder of training camp, it's entirely possible that the Jets are forced to trade Reddick.
It would be an absolute travesty if this is what happens, considering both Reddick's talent and everything that's at stake for the Jets this season.
My stance on this is simple, if you're the Jets, you should only be worried about the near future, more specifically a future that involves Aaron Rodgers, who probably has three years left at best.
So why not give Reddick a massive one or two year deal? I mean, is it really worth it to lose a uber talented player like Reddick? Especially when you're in a situation like the Jets, a team who hasn't made the playoffs since 2011, and finally finds themselves in a position with a true franchise QB, on a team that is just as talented as any roster in the NFL.
Sometimes in life, money is no object, your daughter's wedding day, your wife's engagement ring, or when your premier pass rusher is asking for a new deal in arguably the most important season in the history of your franchise.