Four months ago, the New York Jets agreed to trade a conditional third-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for pass rusher Haason Reddick. The Jets knew Reddick wanted a new contract, but they acquired him before working out a deal.
After acquiring the pass rusher, New York’s front office knew they could not afford to pay both Riddick and incumbent John Franklin-Myers. So the Jets made a short-sighted decision and gave Franklin-Myers permission to seek a trade.
Because they needed to clear salary cap space, New York had little leverage in negotiations and the Denver Broncos took advantage of that. During the NFL draft, the Broncos agreed to trade a future sixth-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Franklin-Myers, a bargain price.
New York traded for Reddick before getting a new deal done and they shipped out his predecessor before giving Reddick an extension. Since then, Reddick has refused to report while in a contract dispute with the Jets, and he officially asked for a trade on Monday.
It’s a messy situation in New York that the Jets created themselves, and the Broncos benefited from it. Franklin-Myers is gone and Reddick is yet to join. Meanwhile, Denver and Philadelphia couldn’t be happier.
