The Cardinals didn’t pick up Haason Reddick’s fifth-year option last spring, setting him up to hit free agency in 2021.
At the time, the decision made sense for the former No. 13 overall pick. While he’d appeared in all 48 games for which he was eligible, he’d started just 20. He had a combined 7.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, 18 tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits in three seasons.
But then Redidck put together a strong 2020, recording 12.5 sacks — 5.0 coming in one game against the Giants in December — to set him up for a significant payday.
Reddick was well aware of the chatter about him being a first-round bust, and set out to shed that label.
“I watched, I listened, I saw what people said and I won’t forget,” Reddick said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “But, as you can see, I came out here this year and did what I had to do. And I bet you they ain’t saying it now.”
Reddick can now sit back and wait to cash in on his career season, either with the Cardinals or elsewhere.
“I would like to stay here but we’ll see what happens when it comes, when the time comes, we’ll see what happens,” Reddick said.
