The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently signed veteran pass rusher Hassan Reddick to their squad in March, and he is anticipated to be a significant part of Tampa’s attempt at winning the Super Bowl. The first few voluntary practices of the year just started for the Bucs, and he was caught playing hooky. Is this a bad sign for Tampa fans?
There’s no doubting Reddick’s ability to get after the quarterback.
After being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, Reddick started his career off relatively slowly. Through his first three seasons, Reddick only recorded 7.5 sacks, but he did contribute an additional 18 tackles for loss.
In 2020, Reddick caught fire. He recorded a career high 12.5 sacks, 63 total tackles, 15 TFLs, and six forced fumbles.
For the next three years, Reddick continued his streak of success with 38 more sacks, including a new career high of 16 sacks in 2022, when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2024, he departed with Philly, which is when things started to get a bit sticky for him.
After being traded to the New York Jets in 2024, Reddick demanded a long-term extension that would make him one of the highest-paid edge rushers in the league. The Jets were very stingy, which at the time was somewhat confusing; Reddick was coming off his most productive seasons ever, and the Jets were still reluctant to pay him what he wanted.
As a result, Reddick began what would end up being a lengthy holdout, meaning he did not attend any practices and would not participate in any team activities until he got paid. This holdout lasted for an astounding seven games of the 2024 season, until he eventually gave up his efforts and ended his holdout. In the remainder of the season, animosity lingered, and Reddick only recorded one sack, his lowest number since 2019.
Flash forward to 2025, the Bucs’ newest pass rusher is not attending the first OTAs of the year. Should the Bucs be looking at this as a red flag?
Yes and no.
Given the drama that Reddick’s holdouts have caused in the past, the Bucs should be a bit uneasy about this behavior. Additionally, the fact that Reddick seemed to be super gung-ho in earlier press conferences, it seems extra strange that he’s not eager to get out there and perform.
There shouldn’t be too much overthinking for the Bucs and their fans. OTAs are entirely voluntary; Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, and Tristan Wirfs were not present at the first day of OTAs. No one is raising an eyebrow at those guys being absent. Granted, they have a much more established reputation inside of the Bucs franchise.
All in all, it doesn’t seem like Reddick is making a great first impression by not showing up.
If the Bucs want to succeed again in 2024 and if they want to play beyond the first round of the NFL playoffs this season, an improved pass rush is a must.
Reddick is often viewed as rambunctious or as a “head case” due to this contract debacle, but the fact of the matter is that had that not happened, he would’ve recorded much more than one sack back in 2024. If Reddick is as problematic as the league seems to think, the Bucs’ veteran-loaded defense could prove beneficial in reeling him in. On the contrary, if Reddick isn’t this deplorable character that everyone is painting him to be, he could be a quarterback nightmare with the Bucs. Pairing him alongside Vea could open up incredible oppurtunities to rush the passer.
Bucs fans, it’s time to face the music.
The Buccaneers’ Super Bowl window is beginning to shrink. Evans and Lavonte David can’t play forever. Todd Bowles has proved to be consistently mediocre in crunch time. If the Bucs are going to make another run in the near future, now is the time.
With the addition of Reddick, Tampa looks to bolster its roster just enough to become that elite organization. They’ve been chasing the thrill of that Tom Brady Super Bowl for the past few years now, and now is their time to strike; is Reddick going to prove to be the piece they’ve been missing?
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