Reddick: Inside Linebacker Pay Going In ‘Right Direction’

Haason Reddick of the Philadelphia Eagles has established himself as one of the top edge-rushers in the NFL, but he’s more concerned with the players who line up next to him.

“Inside linebacker is like the quarterback of the defense, so to see them finally getting paid in a respective way lets me know that the game is progressing into the right direction,” Reddick said on Front Office Sports Today.

His interview begins at 10:11 and he gets into pay issues starting at 16:15:

“Edge-rushers have always gotten paid a great amount,” Reddick noted. “But I have also been an inside linebacker and just knowing how difficult that is, to see some of these other guys getting their $19 and $20 million a year, I’m just happy for those guys because they’re setting a new precedent for that position.”

The Baltimore Ravens’ Roquan Smith, Indianapolis Colts’ Shaquille Leonard and San Francisco 49ers’ Fred Warner, for instance, are each on five-year deals worth $100 million, $99.3 million, and $95.2 million respectively.

Reddick is entering the second year of a three-year, $45 million deal, one which is looking like a potential steal for the Eagles. Other top edge-rushers such as the Buffalo Bills’ Von Miller (six years, $120 million) and Myles Garrett (five years, $125 million) are on significantly larger deals.

Asked last month if he was underpaid, Reddick told reporters, “You all see what’s going on, but I’m just going to worry about being the best version of myself and everything else will work itself out.”

Outsized Impact

In addition to prepping for a season where he has an eye on another Super Bowl run, Reddick uses some of his salary and notoriety to have an impact off the field. 

He’s currently working with Campbell’s on their “Chunky Sacks Hunger” campaign, which has a goal of giving out 2 million meals over the course of this NFL season.

“I touch a lot of different topics or issues, from doing Christmas donations, back-to-school, doing Thanksgiving drives. … I’m loving it, because the work I’ve done in the past has been more local to where I’m playing or where I’m from. This year I get to partner with Chunky’s and we get to hit the whole nation.”

Reddick has played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers, but community work is one more reason that he’s happy to be an Eagle.

“Of the three teams I’ve been on, this team is the one that gives back to the community the most, and I’m proud of that because it’s something that I get to be a part of as well.”