With Week 1 nearly here, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas sat down with reporters for his usual start-of-season briefing on Thursday.
Everyone knew what would be at the top of the agenda: Haason Reddick's ongoing holdout.
New York traded for the 29-year-old edge rusher in the offseason with the intent to bolster their roster by capitalizing on a soured relationship between player and organization. What they didn't expect, however, was for Reddick to bring that discontent with him to the Jets, so much that he's refused to participate in New York's preseason preparation and doesn't appear to be eager to show up any time soon -- at least, not without a new contract.
It's not often a financially unhappy player is traded without having his monetary needs addressed almost immediately, but this is where the Jets are with Reddick. Douglas on Thursday gave his explanation on how they arrived at this point.
"In simple terms, we did talk about an extension," Douglas told reporters. "Once one wasn't agreed upon, we had the conversation, and we felt good about making a trade. Obviously, he came here, reported, had a great day here. Again, we're just awaiting his arrival."
Reddick's displeasure became apparent when he didn't report for training camp, and in the middle of August, officially requested a trade. New York responded with a firm statement from Douglas on the same day -- including the line "he is expected to be here with his teammates."
Since then, the Jets have maintained a united front on the matter. Head coach Robert Saleh kept hope alive that Reddick would show up soon, telling reporters "he still has plenty of time" on Tuesday. Douglas echoed Saleh on Thursday, stating "I have faith that this will all get resolved."
"I would say clear and direct from the beginning," Douglas said when asked how the Jets have handled the situation. "You know, I have a lot of respect for the agent as well. So, again, the ball's in their court and whenever he's ready to come here, again, we can't wait to have him."
Douglas added that he does not regret trading for Reddick.
That faith might be somewhat blind. Douglas admitted "there hasn't been a recent conversation, but the phone lines are open," as if to say the Jets are perfectly content proceeding without Reddick, but would happily welcome him back.
Fines usually coerce a player to end a holdout at some point. Douglas pointed to such fines in his mid-August statement, and doesn't appear to be interested in budging.
But there is an interesting human element to all of this, which Douglas admitted Thursday.
"I think we've been clear from the outset of, 'Hey let's get here and then let's talk,' " Douglas said. "Obviously, again -- I want to reiterate the respect I have -- but it's just not ... I don't have the benefit of just dealing with one person and one agent, and so a lot of the decisions that you make reverberate through the locker room and have a ripple effect in the locker room. To me, that is and will always be the most important thing."
Essentially, Douglas knows that when one player gets paid, others notice. He has a 53-man roster to manage, which is a larger responsibility to him than convincing an offseason acquisition to contribute. It's as if Douglas took the podium and bluntly stated "there's no I in team."
Judging by the Jets' stance, this standoff could last for a while. Reddick knows his earning power is directly tied to his health, and is also likely aware his 30th birthday -- which arrives in September -- has made this year pivotal for his pockets.
We'll see if that prompts action on Reddick's part, because it sure seems as if the Jets aren't budging.
"I wouldn't say we haven't stopped communication," Douglas said. "There hasn't been a recent conversation, but the phone lines are open."
