The Jets hit the practice field just before noon Saturday to make final preparations before their season opener against the 49ers on Monday.
It's not so much about who was on the field, it's who wasn't on the field that's noteworthy.
Haason Reddick continued to sit out the game despite news that was expected to break on Friday night. It's been five months since the Jets traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a pass rusher. It's also been five months since the Jets met with Reddick.
This was the most absurd protest in living memory.
Redick is asking for a raise from a team he's never played for, let alone trained with. He has no bargaining chips. The Jets have made it clear by their actions and (as far as we know) their words that they will not grant him the contract extension he is seeking.
The smart play here is for Redick to go out there and give it his all. The Jets look to be a good team and will almost certainly have a good defense. Playing on defense with Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Sauce Gardner, C.J. Mosley, Quincy Williams and D.J. Reed should allow Redick to perform at a high level.
Let's say Redick joins the Jets and gets 12.5 sacks this season (his average over the past four years), and guess what happens next? Redick gets paid.
The Jets and general manager Joe Douglas will be under a lot of pressure to re-sign him, and if they don't pay him, other teams in need of a pass rusher surely will.
“He has to sort out his financial issues, and that's not my job,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Saturday. “I said it when I was first hired, our job is to help them make money.”
But sitting at home won't help Redick make money.
Redick is just losing money now. He was set to make $14.25 million this season, the final year of his three-year contract with the Eagles. He's already been fined about $5 million for missing spring and summer games. Starting Monday, he'll start losing his game checks, which are about $800,000 a game.
Because Redick is a veteran, the fine cannot be reversed under the CBA, and he likely won't get the money back even if the Jets add some incentives to his contract this year.
It's hard to know what the end goal here is for Redick. He requested a trade last month, but it felt like just another step in the negotiating strategy for his agent. Who will trade Redick, who turns 30 on Sept. 22 and has requested trades from two teams in the past seven months?
If he misses the entire season, his contract will expire and he will remain under Jets control through 2025.
The smart move for Redick would be to go out there and play and show everyone he's worthy of a big payday in free agency. All he has to do is look at Juan Soto and what he did with the Yankees this season. A good year under the bright lights of the New York stage will show how much he can increase his value.
The Jets have yet to apply pressure on Redick. Even when Saleh finally acknowledged Saturday that Redick would not play Monday, he struck a conciliatory tone.
“When he gets here, we're going to welcome him with open arms and love him,” Saleh said. “He's going to be a part of this football team and help us win a lot of football games.”
We've come a long way from the days of Bill Parcells.
Saleh and Douglas have been careful not to criticize Redick or his agent, Tory Dandy, but at some point they have to bring up Mike Tomlin's comments about wanting volunteers, not hostages.
The Jets take the field on Monday night looking to start one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history. Aaron Rodgers throws a pass to Garrett Wilson. Tyron Smith blocks for Breece Hall. Saul Gardner covers Brandon Aiyuk. Quinnen Williams chases down Christian McCaffrey.
Maybe Redick will watch it on TV and realize what he's been missing.
