Could the Arizona Cardinals add back their former first-round pick Haason Reddick via trade?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!ESPN’s Ben Solek proposed an interesting hypothetical trade between Arizona and the New York Jets to get this done as Reddick has still not reported to the team after being traded to them from the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick this summer because the two sides have not agreed on a contract extension.
In exchange for Reddick, the Cardinals would deal their long-time vocal leader in safety Budda Baker, who is in the final year of his contract after spending all eight of his NFL seasons with the Cardinals.
Here’s Solek’s reasoning on the trade:
“Would Reddick return to Arizona, the team that drafted him and nearly torpedoed his career? The Cardinals’ general manager and coach are somewhat new to town, but they’re also familiar with Reddick. The edge rusher had his best season in 2022, when Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. Plus, the Cardinals are starved for pass-rush help following the injury to BJ Ojulari. Also important? They have a ton of money with which to pay Reddick.
“It’s tough to get Reddick out of New York, though. Douglas is fighting for his job, and it’s hard to see a successful season for New York if it stocks up on picks instead of players. So the Cardinals would have to send Baker, who is in the final year of his deal and requested a trade in the 2023 offseason before getting a pay bump. I know the Jets love Tony Adams internally, but Baker would be a significant upgrade, providing the immediate value Douglas and Saleh need.”
Reddick was teammates with Baker in Arizona from 2017-20, as both players were selected in the same draft. During his four seasons in Arizona, Reddick recorded 255 tackles (33 for loss), 20 sacks and nine forced fumbles. Just two years ago, Reddick had 16 sacks for the Eagles and has had double-digit sack numbers in four-straight seasons.
Cardinals general manager Monti Oseenfort has said every contract negotation with current players is on a case-by-case basis, and they still are working to get an extension done with Baker even with the season underway.
After a pretty bad defensive line performance in their 34-28 Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Cardinals could use a big bolster and Reddick would give them exactly that.
Cardinals edge rushers generated a 3.5% pressure rate last week and I'll be honest I'm not sure I've ever seen an NFL team do that before.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) September 11, 2024
What do you think of this trade?
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
