The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a risk when general manager Jason Licht signed free agent pass rusher Haason Reddick to a one-year deal worth up to $14 million. The risk didn't have anything to do with his perceived talent, but more to do with the year he had in 2024.
Reddick spent one season with the New York Jets after a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles. He sat out the offseason and the first seven games of the year in protest of a trade he did not want, then proceeded to register just one sack in his next 10 games.
Many so-called experts called Reddick a problem because of his antics in New York. But that has subsided a bit as the offseason has progressed. New teammate Yaya Diaby couldn't be more impressed by Reddick's offseason.
“Man, I’m super geeked to have a guy like Haason, you know, it’s just so amazing to see how hungry he is,” Diaby told SiriusXM NFL Radio via JoeBucsFan.com. “Everybody kind of turned away from him because of all the things that he’s been through with the Jets, but he’s still got that hunger even though he’s up in age. He still has that hunger.
"Having a guy like that on the other side and then having Calijah [Kancey] and Vita [Vea] in the middle, man, I’m super geeked for what this team got in store.”
Reddick has endeared himself to the fan base during his introductory presser. And The Athletic's Dan Pompei has praised the former Temple Owls defender since he arrived.
"Haason Reddick had only one sack last season and skipped some offseason workouts, which led to uncertainty about his ability to impact the defense," Pompei wrote. "But Reddick’s presence at minicamp was powerful. Reddick, who had 50 1/2 sacks between 2020 and 2023, hasn’t forgotten how to get to the quarterback, even though he had an awful 2024 with the Jets. At 30, he appears to be in his athletic prime and is at the point in his life when knowledge and ability are intersecting quite nicely."