Joe Douglas hemmed and hawed his manner by way of the inevitable Haason Reddick inquisition. That is his story and he’s sticking to it — no regrets making the commerce and no regrets making it with out getting a signature on the dotted line.
A brand new Jets season is about to start, and it’s about to start with out Haason Reddick.
And so there was Douglas, sending out a message to Reddick on Thursday that sounded very very similar to this:
We would like you.
However we don’t want you.
For his sake, he higher be proper.
Douglas has the leverage for now over an elite cross rusher who will flip 30 on Sept. 22 and can’t afford profession suicide in determined pursuit of an extension within the neighborhood of $25 million per season.
However nobody will care about his leverage if his group ought to stub its toe out of the gate with out Reddick.
Wherein case Jets followers would immediately care that for all his discuss clear and direct communication earlier than and instantly after the commerce with the Eagles with Workforce Reddick, Douglas spent each waking hour since April 1 opting to not talk with him.
Jets followers won’t immediately care about Reddick reneging on any verbal settlement and blowing off OTAs and coaching camp.
It’s why Douglas, who understandably should weigh the truth that a few of his different workers might be awaiting paydays, ought to do himself a favor and choose up the telephone and make each try and resolve this deadlock.
“I believe this can all get resolved,” Douglas mentioned.
Douglas threw his Hail Aaron cross final yr and it fell incomplete, and he’s lucky he will get to throw it once more this yr.
Aaron Rodgers, the 40-year-old future first-ballot Corridor of Famer with the rehabilitated 40-year-old Achilles, has the destiny of the Jets regime resting on his 40-year-old proper arm that appears extra like a 30-year-old proper arm within the eyes of head coach Robert Saleh.
Douglas finds himself on the win-or-else sizzling seat as a result of he whiffed twice on Zach Wilson — utilizing the second-overall choose within the 2021 NFL draft on him after which designating him the backup to the 39-year-old future first-ballot Corridor of Famer.
Three strikes and yer out!
We would like you:
“We expect he can assist us win video games.”
“We’re gonna be excited to have him when he decides to reach.”
“Everybody right here is gonna welcome him with open arms.”
We don’t want you:
“We have now a extremely deep room with a variety of good gamers. … We nonetheless really feel nice about our D-line depth as a complete.”
“The locker room’s in an exceptional place. Coaching camp was unbelievable. The power, the fervour, the togetherness that the group exhibits has been fairly exceptional.”
“I really feel like this has been a exceptional coaching camp. I really feel like it is a nice assortment of expertise and character, pretty much as good of a group of individuals as I’ve been round in 24 years. I believe it is a nice group to lock arms and journey with.”
Hail Aaron.
“There’s days the place he simply goes on the market and doesn’t miss,” Douglas mentioned.
Douglas has constructed an skilled, veteran offensive line in entrance of Rodgers to raised shield him so he doesn’t miss.
“I’m excited to see the O-line on the market,” Douglas mentioned.
With out Reddick, Douglas will want Will McDonald to take that second-year leap that Jermaine Johnson took a yr in the past.
“I believe Will’s had an excellent camp,” Douglas mentioned. “Will’s coming in on a mission. His abilities are simple. I really feel like can carry some elite athleticism off the sting.”
Douglas and Saleh have been a group for 4 seasons.
“He’s actually grown into this wonderful chief — he was at all times a tremendous chief when he got here in right here,” Douglas mentioned. “Simply the way in which he can talk with folks and the power he brings day-after-day. He’s an incredible particular person and an incredible coach.”
The good particular person is an 18-33 coach.
Douglas is 27-56 as a GM.
Does Douglas need Reddick on the sphere? In fact he does. Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers are gone.
Reddick will not be the one one enjoying with hearth.
