It felt a bit like a formality, with Haason Reddick still trying to find his way in the NFL. But the NFL Network reported the Cardinals let the linebacker know over the weekend his fifth-year contract option -- for 2021 -- would not be picked up. That means Reddick is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Had they picked it up, he would have been scheduled to make around $10 million in 2021.
Reddick, the 13th overall pick in 2017, played edge rusher in college, and the Cards had hoped he could transition to inside linebacker in the NFL. That never worked out (over three defensive coordinators in his short career) and near the end of last season, coach Kliff Kingsbury decided to officially put Reddick back out to outside linebacker to see if it might work better there. Reddick is probably undersized for every-down work at the position, but he currently is the Cards' top reserve at outside linebacker behind starters Chandler Jones and Devon Kennard.
When he was moved back outside last season, Reddick said he was not disappointed, but "it's frustrating to see how it all went down."
"I've always been level-headed, always thought, 'What can I do better?' Ultimately I'm trying to be a team guy, not pointing fingers at anybody. I want to learn from my mistakes and try and be better."
