Falcons dodged massive bullet in near trade for Pro Bowl defender

The Atlanta Falcons went into the offseason needing to aggressively pursue an edge rusher. They reportedly tried to land top free agent Danielle Hunter and then tried to trade back into the first round of the draft to likely take Laiatu Latu.

There was also a trade target that Terry Fontenot struck out on after the New York Jets snagged the edge rusher. However, things sometimes work out for the best as Gang Green is in the middle of a tug-of-war with their new player.

Atlanta Falcons should be ecstatic after striking out on Haason Reddick

After being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Haason Reddick appeared to be trending toward a bust. But after a position switch, the former Temple Owl broke out in his final season in Arizona in 2020 and has now recorded four straight double-digit sack seasons while spending time with three different teams.

He was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles who decided they didn't want to continue forward with the two-time Pro Bowler so they put him up on the trade market.

The Falcons were among the teams rumored to be interested but he ultimately landed with the Jets. It appeared to be a blow to a Dirty Birds' defense that needs all the help they can get but hindsight now proves they dodged a massive bullet.

Robert Saleh's team has not been able to get Haason Reddick on the field since they acquired him. Reddick is holding out due to a contract dispute after claiming he wasn't angry over his current financial situation.

The funny thing is the fact that it was well-known that Reddick wanted more future stability with his contract before he was traded. The Jets landed him and haven't offered him the money he thinks he deserves.

Considering Reddick was traded for a third-round pick, he has a lot of leverage and the Jets could be in big trouble.

With Raheem Morris announcing full attendance at training camp, we are certainly glad we don't have to deal with this headache.