August 02, 2023

Eagles notes: Haason Reddick's contract, 'elite' Quez Watkins, and more

Some news on the Eagles as they rest Wednesday.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick

There were a couple of noteworthy things to cover during the Philadelphia Eagles' interview sessions on Tuesday, so let's get to those here.

Haason Reddick is well aware that he is underpaid

Reddick was asked rather succinctly on Tuesday, "Are you underpaid?" His response:

Haason Reddick on if he’s underpaid:

“I ain’t going to sit here. … You all see it. You all know what’s going on. I’m just worried about being the best version of myself and let everything else sort itself out.”#Eagles LB, entering 2d of 3-yr deal, is 16th in NFL in yearly avg
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) August 1, 2023

There is no question that Reddick is underpaid relative to other edge rushers around the league. Reddick is only the 15th highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL on an average annual value basis (via OverTheCap), despite having the third-most sacks in the NFL over the last three seasons.

Player	AAV	Sacks (2020-2022)
T.J. Watt, Steelers	$28,002,750	43.0
Joey Bosa, Chargers	$27,000,000	20.5
Myles Garrett, Browns	$25,000,000	44.0
Maxx Crosby, Raiders	$23,500,000	27.5
Khalil Mack, Chargers	$23,500,000	23.0
Bradley Chubb, Dolphins	$22,000,000	15.5
Von Miller, Bills	$17,500,000	17.5
Harold Landry, Titans	$17,500,000	17.5
Cameron Jordan, Saints	$17,500,000	28.5
Chandler Jones, Raiders	$17,000,000	16.0
Shaquil Barrett, Buccaneers	$17,000,000	21.0
Emmanuel Ogbah, Dolphins	$16,350,000	19.0
Haason Reddick, Eagles	$15,000,000	39.5

Reddick was absent from voluntary OTAs and he missed the first three practices of training camp with groin soreness. He was a limited participant in the fourth practice on Tuesday.

He is only one year into a three-year contract, and thus isn't in a position to leverage more money from the team. He will turn 29 in September, and he is in the prime of his career. For now, Reddick's contract does not seem to be major issue, even though he is well aware that he is underpaid. He is in camp, participating, while a pair of star players on rival teams — the Cowboys' Zack Martin and the 49ers' Nick Bosa — are holdouts.

If Reddick has another monster season in 2023, he probably won't be as content to play way below his market value in 2024.

Quez Watkins says that he is 'elite'

Watkins had a really nice day of practice on Sunday. And then...

Quez Watkins: “I’m an elite receiver” and he’s out to prove that in Year 4. Says he has a great mindset and he’s here to compete. “This is the big leagues.” #Eagles
— Martin Frank (@Mfranknfl) August 1, 2023

Confidence — and maybe even a little dusting of delusion on top — is a trait that I admire in a receiver. You almost have to think you're great to be great. As it pertains to Watkins, it's perhaps a good sign that he still has confidence after what even he acknowledged was a bad year in 2022.

All that said... Lol, come on man.