We have discussed the impact of letting Haason Reddick go in free agency.
The Arizona Cardinals lack any type of young edge talent on the roster and Chandler Jones is a free agent after this season. He is also on the wrong side of 30 and coming off a major injury.
For the Cardinals though, there is the flipside of the Reddick contract… Is he worth the long-term investment?
Bleacher Report looked at every teams hardest contract decision heading into the 2021 offseason and Reddick’s was Arizona’s:
After three mostly disappointing seasons, the Cardinals declined the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Haason Reddick last May. He spent most of his first three seasons in an off-ball role, but with Jones lost for the year, the Cardinals moved Reddick to more of an edge-rushing role. Reddick racked up 12.5 sacks—including a franchise-record five in a Week 14 tilt against the New York Giants.
The question is whether a player who had just 7.5 sacks in three seasons heading into last year and just five entering December last season is worth a long-term extension averaging over $11 million per year.
I agree, paying Reddick $40-50 million is going to be tough. I have advocated that it makes sense for the Cardinals to franchise tag him and give him a prove it one-year deal. If he can replicate the 2020 season, relatively speaking he can cash in even more. If he bombs, you saved yourself $20ish million in guarantees.
For the Cardinals, it is a tough call to make.
What would you do?
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