The New York Jets, who built a win-now roster with the hope of competing for a championship, will begin the season Monday night without their biggest offseason acquisition.
Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick, holding out for a new contract, still hasn't reported to the team, leaving coach Robert Saleh little choice Saturday but to acknowledge what had become increasingly apparent: It's too late for Reddick, placed on the reserve/did not report list at the start of training camp, to be activated to face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
While Saleh didn't say that directly, he indicated as much by stating it "would be fair" to draw that conclusion. On Thursday, he said it still was "feasible" for Reddick to play if he showed up, but the team has now completed its game preparation.
There's no end in sight to the holdout, which took an ugly turn when Reddick requested a trade Aug. 12. Despite that, Saleh continued to extend a public olive branch, refusing to chide Reddick for his stance.
"I'll stand firm that when he gets here, we're going to welcome him with open arms," Saleh said Saturday. "We're going to love him up, and he's going to be a part of this football team and he's going to help us win a lot of football games. He's got to sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business."
The Jets traded for Reddick on March 29, sending a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Reddick, due to make a nonguaranteed $14.25 million in base pay in the final year of his contract, did an introductory news conference April 1 and hasn't returned to the facility because he is upset that he hasn't received a long-term extension, a source said.
Reddick, who incurred $2.05 million in mandatory fines for skipping training camp, will now forfeit game checks -- approximately $800,000 per week. He also will miss out on having his entire salary guaranteed. As a vested veteran, his salary would have been guaranteed by being on the Week 1 roster.
In the locker room, the players insisted they will be just fine without Reddick, who has 50.5 sacks in the past four seasons.
"We all love him and we're all waiting for him when he's ready to get here, but we have full confidence that we're about to go do some damage, for sure," defensive end Jermaine Johnson said Friday.
The Jets begin the season without three key members of last season's defensive line, including sack leader Bryce Huff, but Johnson said he was not worried about a drop-off.
"You can ask the teams we joint-practiced against, and then y'all will see on Monday," he said. "I think we all feel pretty good."
Johnson and Reddick were supposed to be the starting defensive ends, but now third-year backup Micheal Clemons is likely to replace Reddick, with Will McDonald playing on passing downs. Typically, the Jets use a nine-man rotation on the defensive line.
"As far as our defensive line goes, it's a defensive line that adjusts and rotates every single play," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "As far as some people not being here and people being gone, that doesn't really make a difference."
The Jets, who ranked third in yards allowed last season, still have a handful of stars on defense and expect to play at an elite level even without Reddick, who was brought in to replace Huff and John Franklin-Myers (traded).
"We're going to play really hard, and we're going to play really well," defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. "I really believe that."