Jets Rumors: Woody Johnson Pushed Haason Reddick Contract Talks Across the Goal Line

In an attempt to salvage the team's spiraling season, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was the driving force in getting Haason Reddick to end his long holdout.

Per ESPN's Rich Cimini, Johnson "took an active role" in talks with Reddick's camp and eventually "pushed the negotiations across the goal line" to get the two-time Pro Bowler on the field.

The Jets acquired Reddick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on April 1, but he sat out all offseason activities and the first seven games of the regular season waiting for a new contract.

Things got even more chaotic for the Jets during Reddick's absence. Head coach Robert Saleh was fired on Oct. 8 after a 2-3 start. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich replaced Saleh on an interim basis.

One week after Saleh's firing, the Jets completed a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for Davante Adams. Reddick was the final piece of the puzzle when he ended his holdout and agreed to an adjusted contract on Oct. 20.

The 30-year-old officially signed his deal on Oct. 26 and made his season debut the following day against the New England Patriots. He didn't record a tackle in 26 defensive snaps in the Jets' 25-22 loss.

Johnson has reached the level of desperation in an attempt to win with this team. He famously said "thinking is overrated" after the Jets completed the deal for Adams.

The desperate moves make sense considering the Jets made a bet in April 2023 to trade for Aaron Rodgers with the assumption he was the quarterback who could put them over the top.

Even though Rodgers' Achilles injury in the first game of the 2023 season wasn't something anyone could have predicted, there is always the risk that an aging player is going to get hurt at some point.

Rodgers is far from the biggest problem the Jets have had this season. Their offensive line ranks in the bottom 10 in pass-block and run-block win rates, per ESPN.com. Their once-vaunted defense ranks 20th in DVOA through Week 8.

Reddick isn't going to fix all of the issues on defense, but the Jets have to hope he can provide a quick boost to get that unit playing up to the levels it was in the previous two years.

The Jets (2-6) will look to snap their five-game losing streak on Thursday night when they host the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium.