With mandatory minicamp beginning Tuesday, questions on Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick remain

The Jets will begin mandatory minicamp on Tuesday morning.

One of the significant questions is if pass rusher Haason Reddick will be in attendance.

In March, Gang Green acquired Reddick in a trade with Philadelphia. However, he has been absent from workouts this spring. That has cost Reddick a total of $250,000 in workout bonuses.

Reddick would be fined more than $50,000 if he skips mandatory minicamp. When the Jets acquired Reddick, there was speculation that the two-time Pro Bowler wanted a new contract.

Reddick is scheduled to make $14.25 million in the final year of his contract with no guaranteed money remaining. He makes a compelling case for a contract extension after registering 50.5 sacks during the previous four seasons with the Cardinals, Panthers, and Eagles.

The Jets would also benefit from signing Reddick to an extension. They would add over $11 million in salary cap space.

However, there is no indication that Jets general manager Joe Douglas will extend Reddick before training camp begins in late July. Reddick will turn 30 on Sept. 22, and the Jets may want to see what type of 2024 season he has before extending him.

One of the reasons Reddick was available on the trade market was because he wanted a new contract. After Philadelphia signed ex-Jet Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51.1 million contract in March, Reddick’s days with the team were numbered.

When asked about his absence last week, Jets coach Robert Saleh said he expects Reddick to attend mandatory minicamp. We will see if Reddick decides to show up this week or if this story will continue into training camp.

Hall could be next to get massive running back contract extension?

Once again, Christian McCaffrey reset the running back market.

Last week, McCaffrey agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $19 million annually.

Undoubtedly, Breece Hall and the Jets have been closely monitoring the details of McCaffrey’s contract. With the possibility of their own contract negotiations in the next nine months, the implications of McCaffrey’s deal could be significant. Hall will be eligible for a contract extension after the 2024 season.

Last offseason, Hall was recovering from the ACL tear he suffered seven games into his rookie campaign. Several running backs have taken time to bounce back from an ACL injury.

However, Hall was one of the best running backs in the league last season. In 17 games, Hall finished with 1,585 all-purpose yards.

A year after he rushed for 994 yards and caught 76 receptions for 591 yards, Hall could be poised for a tremendous 2024 campaign.

“He’s a big, fast, shifty individual, Jets running backs coach Tony Dews said about Hall. “He was that in college. He is a twitchy athlete in terms of the run game.

“He ran much faster at the combine than I thought he would on film because he’s always making lateral cuts. But when you see him take off in a straight line, he can separate. He has impressive ball skills.

“He does a great job of catching the football in all three zones. If it’s short, the screen game intermediate, he does have some route savviness to him.”

Before last season ended, Hall said on social media that he would be a top running back in the NFL and be selected to the Pro Bowl, and All-Pro teams. Having Aaron Rodgers back certainly could help with that.

Hall had to deal with an inept quarterback and inferior offensive line play during his first two seasons in the NFL. One of a veteran quarterback’s best friends is a dual-threat running back.

Rodgers’ career is already set, and he is one of the best quarterbacks ever. Last season, the defense focused on Hall and Wilson because they were the Jets’ most consistent playmakers. But Gang Green has improved its offense on paper by adding receivers Mike Williams and rookie Malachi Corley.

The Jets’ offensive line improvements should also help Hall have potentially the best season of his career. This offseason, they acquired left tackle Tyron Smith, left guard John Simpson, and Morgan Moses.

Gang Green also drafted Olu Fashanu after the Jets were ravaged by injuries the last two seasons. In 2022, the Jets had 11 different players start games on the offensive line. Last season, the Jets used 14 different offensive line combinations in 17 games, which led the league.

The 2025 offseason will be intriguing for the Jets. Not only will Hall be eligible for a contract extension, but so will cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

After making two consecutive first-team All-Pro teams, Gardner could potentially seek to surpass the four-year, $84.1 million extension Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. received in May. Wilson has averaged 89 receptions and 1,073 yards during his first two seasons. Johnson was a Pro Bowl alternate after finishing with 55 tackles and 7.5 sacks last year.

However, unlike Gardner, Wilson, and Johnson, the Jets don’t have the fifth-year option as a safety net with Hall after selecting him in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Carter’s growth in Year 2 with Jets

Last season, Keith Carter received considerable criticism for the injuries and performance of the Jets’ offensive line.

After nearly two decades in coaching, Carter says he sought advice from others, including former Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable.

“We gotta be men of our word,” Carter said. “If we are asking the players to constantly improve and get better, then so do we as coaches. I’m a hard charger, a yeller even, sometimes when I don’t mean to be.

“I’m focused on making sure my timing is right and I do it the right way.”

In January, Hall and former Jets and current Eagles tackle Mekhi Becton blasted Carter on social media after former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan said he “loved his coaching staff” beside Carter.

At the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Saleh backed Carter and said, “Sometimes, messaging can get lost in tone.”

The Jets’ offensive line has been a hot-button topic for the last two seasons. But with Smith, Simpson, Moses, and Fashanu, the offensive line should be vastly improved on paper.

“We are excited,” Carter said. “A great group of guys and they’re just coming to work every day. “They’re here, they want to get better and it has been really good.”