The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were intent on improving their pass rush off the edges in 2025 and one part of their multi-pronged approach was to sign veteran outside linebacker Haason Reddick.The Buccaneers also drafted Central Arkansas' David Walker, believing they got a steal in the fourth round with one of the nation's most productive collegiate pass rushers.
The signing of Reddick seemed like a good swing, as well. He was looking to bounce back from what was essentially a lost season with the New York Jets following a trade and a holdout, but he had been a Pro Bowler as recently as 2023, the fourth of four consecutive seasons in which he topped double digits in sacks. Unfortunately, Reddick ran into some injury misfortune with a couple different leg ailments and was limited to 13 games and 2.5 sacks.
In addition, Walker suffered a season-ending knee injury early in training camp after impressing the coaching staff in the offseason and during the first week of camp. The Buccaneers tied for 18th in the NFL with 37 sacks, the team's lowest season total during Todd Bowles' seven-year tenure as defensive coordinator/head coach. Now the Buccaneers are once again heading into an offseason with edge rush help a top priority, and Reddick, having signed just a one-year deal with the team, is once again headed to free agency.
Reddick is one of 17 players from the Bucs' final 2025 roster (including reserve lists) who could become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) on March 11. In the weeks between the Super Bowl and that kickoff to the new league year, we have been taking a closer look at nine of those 17 players, examining where they are in their careers, what they have accomplished recently and what the free agency and the draft fields look like at their positions.
This is the full schedule of our now complete 2026 Free Agent Focus rundown:
February 11: LB Lavonte David
February 13: WR Mike Evans
February 18: DL Logan Hall
February 20: TE Ko Kieft
February 25: RB Rachaad White
February 27: CB Jamel Dean
March 4: WR Sterling Shepard
March 5: TE Cade Otton
March 6: OLB Haason Reddick
Player: Haason Reddick
Position: Outside linebacker
Age at the Start of the 2026 Season: 31
Experience: Entering 10th NFL season
How Acquired: Signed as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year contract on March 13, 2025. Reddick originally entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals 2017 and subsequently played for the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets before signing with the Buccaneers.
Previous Contract(s): After being drafted 13th overall by the Cardinals in 2017, Reddick signed the standard four-year contract with a fifth-year team option that all first-rounders receive. In May of 2020, Arizona declined that fifth-year option, making him a free agent in 2021 and hesigned a one-year deal with the Panthers. He then hit free agency again in 2022 and inked a three-year pact with the Eagles. Philadelphia traded Reddick to the Jets prior to the 2024 season in the final year of that deal.
Rank in Pro Football Focus Top 250 NFL Free Agents for 2026: 229th.
2025 Performance: As noted above, Reddick missed four games in the middle of the season due to ankle and knee injuries, which likely also reduced his effectiveness down the stretch, as he notched just one sack in six games following his return.
As a whole, Reddick contributed 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. He had a promising debut in the Buccaneers' Week One win in Atlanta, recording three tackles and a sack, as well as a separate tackle for loss. The sack came on a third-and-four at the Buccaneers' nine-yard line late in the third quarter, forcing the Falcons to settle for a field goal and a 17-13 deficit.
While his final sack total was low, Reddick did record 32 quarterback pressures on 288 pass rush snaps, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, with a pressure rate of 11.1%. He also dropped into coverage often enough to be the nearest defender on 15 pass attempts, which produced a total of just 80 yards. His average get-off at the snap, according to NGS, was 0.80 seconds.
Career Accomplishments: After selecting him in the first round out of Temple, the Cardinals initially played him at off-ball linebacker. He started just 20 games in his first three seasons and produced 192 tackles but only 7.5 sacks, and Arizona did not pick up his fifth-year option for 2021. In 2020, Arizona moved him to outside linebacker and let him rush the passer full time and he immediately exploded with a 12.5-sack season.
That was enough to earn Reddick a one-year contract with the Panthers, where he proved that his breakout season had been no fluke with 11 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. Hitting free agency again in 2022, this time he landed a three-year deal with Philadelphia, the first two of which saw him make the Pro Bowl. Reddick had a career-high 16.0 sacks and 26 QB hits for the Super Bowl-bound Eagles in 2022, then topped that with 3.5 more QB takedowns in the playoffs. In 2023, he added 11.0 more sacks and 23 quarterback pressures. He was a second-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2022 and finished fourth in the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year balloting.
In April of 2024, rather than signing Reddick to a contract extension the Eagles traded him to the Jets with one year left on his original deal. A contract holdout and a trade request prompted him to miss the first six games of the season until he agreed to reworked contract with the Jets. In 10games and two starts upon his return, Reddick recorded 14 tackles, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and one pass defensed.
In all, Reddick has played in 137 regular season games with 95 starts. He has amassed 455 tackles, 61.5 sacks, 108 quarterback hits, 18 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 21passes defensed. In four postseason games he has 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.
Other Potential Free Agent Edge Rushers: Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), Jaelen Phillips (Eagles), Khalil Mack (Chargers), Odafe Oweh (Chargers), Boye Mafe (Seahawks), Joey Bosa (Bills), Dre'Mont Jones (Seahawks), Jadeveon Clowney (Cowboys), Cameron Jordan (Saints), K'Lavon Chaisson (Patriots), Arnold Ebiketie (Falcons), Kwity Paye (Colts), Von Miller (Commanders), Dante Fowler (Cowboys), Derek Barnett (Texans)
Top Edge Rush Prospects in 2026 NFL Draft: David Bailey (Texas Tech), Arvell Reese (Ohio State), Rueben Bain (Miami), Cashius Howell (Texas A&M), Akheem Mesidor (Miami), T.J. Parker (Clemson), Keldric Faulk (Auburn), Gabe Jacas (Illinois), Zion Young (Missouri), Derrick Moore (Michigan), Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State), R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma), Romello Height (Texas Tech)
