Jets' Haason Reddick debacle looks slightly less awful after Bryce Huff trade

Whenever a player of some repute leaves the New York Jets, the same thing always seems to happen. Not only does that player end up signing a big contract elsewhere and performing well, but the replacement the Jets add in their wake inevitably fails to live up to the hype.

It appeared as though the Jets were destined for another one of those situations when they let pass rusher Bryce Huff sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency and traded a third-round pick to Philly for Haason Reddick. Reddick's legendarily stupid holdout made him an all-time disaster for the Jets.

Things would have been even worse if Huff lived up to his end of the bargain in Philly, but he was so putrid that he was all but removed from the active roster before the end of the year. Luckily for him, his biggest believer from his Jets days wanted to give him another shot.

The San Francisco 49ers, who recently re-hired former Jets head coach Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, acquired Huff in a trade that will send a Day 3 pick to the Eagles. Now that the Eagles and Jets' pass rush rooms are both worse off, can we call this hypothetical swap a lose-lose?

Jets' Haason Reddick mess looks less bad after Eagles trade Bryce Huff

Huff did get a ring, but he mustered just 13 tackles and 2.5 sacks while seeing his pressure rates go right into the toilet. Vic Fangio's masterful defensive scheme was ruinous for Huff, who proved to be well below average as a run defender after signing a three-year, $51 million contract.

Saleh's scheme allowed Huff to line up as wide as possible and use his speed to pressure the quarterback. In this designated pass rusher role, Huff could try to get his career back on track. Even playing alongside Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Josh Sweat couldn't help Huff mask his holes.

Saleh is trying to bring as many of his old bandmates over to San Francisco as possible. Not only will Huff join punter Thomas Morstead and linebacker Chazz Surratt with the 49ers, but special teams coach Brant Boyer is also in town. After all, the 2023 Jets were clearly such an iconic team in the annals of NFL history.

One year after these two players traded teams, Reddick is signing a one-year prove-it deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that is a far cry from what he was hoping to secure in New York, and Huff has been relegated to lottery ticket status. Sometimes, the grass isn't greener.

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