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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — On the day he sent his head coach packing, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson took the unusual step of making a public plea to holdout Haason Reddick to join the team.
Johnson, who addressed the Robert Saleh firing Tuesday on a conference call with reporters, was asked at the end of the call about Reddick’s absence.
“I don’t think any of us have seen anything like this, so I think you have to be part psychologist and some other [thing] to try to figure out what is actually going on,” Johnson said, commenting for the first time on the situation.
Johnson said they will welcome Reddick “with open arms,” adding that the Pro Bowl edge rusher “will find a very welcome locker room and he’ll be able to fit right in.”
Then the Jets’ owner shifted into salesman mode, addressing his comments to Reddick.
“But he’s got to get here first,” Johnson said. “So, Haason, get in your car, drive down I-95 and come to the New York Jets. We can meet you and give you an escort right in the building and you will fit right in and you’re going to love it here, and you’re going to feel welcome and you’re going to accomplish great things with us.”
Reddick lives in Camden, New Jersey, about 90 minutes from the Jets’ training facility.
Reddick, 30, acquired in a March 29 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, wants a new contract and has skipped all team events, incurring more than $8 million in fines. He has one year remaining on his contract for a nonguaranteed base salary of $14.25 million. He has forfeited $4.2 million of that salary by missing the first five games.
Reddick spurned a long-term offer at the time of the trade. He expected negotiations to continue while the Jets claim Reddick reneged on a promise to play under his existing contract. They traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick for him.