Aaron Rodgers won't judge Haason Reddick for his holdout, but says being on the Jets is best for him

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Aaron Rodgers won't judge Haason Reddick for his holdout, but says being on the Jets is best for him

2024-08-14 04:04 Last Updated At：04:10

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers has the perfect place in mind for Haason Reddick to end up after the star edge rusher requested a trade from the New York Jets.

And Reddick wouldn't have to go far.

“Obviously, we’d love for him to be here, but, you know, we don’t judge him for trying to do what’s best for him,” Rodgers said Tuesday. "I think what’s best for him is to be a Jet because this is going to be a fun ride.

“But, you know, he’s got to make the best decision for him and his family.”

Reddick's holdout reached 22 days as he seeks a new contract without a resolution in sight, especially after he asked the Jets on Monday to trade him. Shortly after Reddick's request went public, New York general manager Joe Douglas issued a statement through the team saying the Jets wouldn't be trading him.

Coach Robert Saleh declined comment when asked about the situation and deferred to Douglas' statement.

“I’m not going to elaborate any more than Joe did,” Saleh said. “It is what it is. I’m going to focus on the guys who are here.”

Reddick has been absent all offseason and training camp since being acquired by the Jets for a 2026 conditional third-round draft pick.

“There's always new things in the league,” Rodgers said. “I've been in the league 20 years and I've seen a lot of stuff. I think as players, we always try to first side with the player because you know what's it like to be a player.”

Rodgers said he doesn't know Reddick well, but has played against him and exchanged messages with him when the Jets acquired him. The four-time NFL MVP also didn't rule out reaching out to Reddick again during his contract standoff.

“Yeah, that's possible,” Rodgers said. “Anything's possible.”

When asked if he planned to contact Reddick, Rodgers nodded his head and said, “Yeah.”

Saleh said he has spoken previously to Reddick, but didn't say when the most recent time the two communicated was. The coach also said he hasn't been disheartened by the situation.

“It’s not frustrating because I don’t have control over it,” Saleh said. “We’re excited about our group. Still looking forward for him to get here when he’s ready. And when he’s ready, we’re going to embrace him with open arms and get ready to attack the moments that he brings to us.”

Reddick, who has double-digit sacks in four straight seasons, is expected to boost the Jets’ pass rush after the team allowed Bryce Huff to leave in free agency and traded John Franklin-Myers to Denver. He was acquired by New York after asking Philadelphia to pursue a trade over his contract situation. He wanted a new deal then and the Eagles weren’t going to give him one.

New York made the trade with the belief there would be no issues and Reddick would report under his current contract — and the sides could talk when he arrived. The 29-year-old Reddick seemed happy when he spoke on a video call with reporters after the trade on April 1.

“No matter how it goes, how many years, I’m going to be here for however long I’m here for,” Reddick said, "and I’m going to give the team, the fans everything that I have.”

Reddick was placed on the reserve/did not report list on July 25, the Jets’ second day of camp practice.

He’s scheduled to make $14.25 million in base salary in the final year of his deal. By missing the first three weeks of camp, Reddick is facing more than $1 million in mandatory fines. He also forfeited a $250,000 workout bonus for not attending the Jets’ offseason workouts. None of Reddick’s salary for this season is guaranteed.

Saleh also insisted Reddick's contract holdout isn't becoming a distraction to the team.

“It’s not,” he said. “I promise you it’s not. It’s a great opportunity for the guys that are here. We love our D-line, we love our depth, especially at the defensive end position.”

NOTES: TE Jeremy Ruckert is dealing with a concussion that will sideline him for a few days. ... The Jets held their longest practice of camp, with the session lasting nearly 2 1/2 hours. “I think we scripted the equivalent of almost three quarters of football for each, especially for the first and second group,” Saleh said. “It was good because we didn’t flinch, so we’re in pretty good shape.” ... Saleh was asked when he began thinking about playing San Francisco in the season opener on Sept. 9. “Not going to lie to you,” Saleh said. “That started the second the schedule came out.”

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Wildfires scorch Southern California hillsides, torching homes and injuring several

2024-09-12 01:08 Last Updated At：01:11

EL CARISO, Calif. (AP) — Homes, vehicles and stables burned as three major wildfires in Southern California grew dramatically and became more aggressive but firefighters were hoping to get some relief Wednesday with cooler weather. More than a dozen people, mostly firefighters, were injured, officials said.

In Orange County, the Airport Fire charred cars and left a wake of rubble and ash while flames pushed east and over mountains into neighboring Riverside County. Eight firefighters and two residents have been injured in the blaze, which burned nearly 35 square miles (91 square kilometers) by early Wednesday, said Orange County Fire Capt. Sean Doran. He said cooler overnight temperatures provided some respite after a heat wave plagued the region for days.

In El Cariso, a Riverside County community of 250 people, an Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.

The fire reached the community along Highway 74 Tuesday afternoon when some residents scrambled to evacuate on the road clogged with fire trucks and firefighters, and the sky turned dark and smokey and began raining ash.

In the mountain community of Wrightwood, scorched trees burned bright orange behind homes as authorities implored residents to evacuate ahead of the exploding Bridge Fire. The fire east of Los Angeles grew tenfold in a day, burning 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) by early Wednesday to become the largest of three major wildfires endangering tens of thousands of homes and other structures across the region.

“It was very, I would say, hellish-like,” Alex Luna, a 20-year-old missionary who heeded calls to evacuate the community of 4,500 in San Bernardino County, said late Tuesday. “Ash was falling from the sky like if it was snowing.”

The fires sprung to life during a triple-digit heat wave that finally broke Wednesday. Other major fires were burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, where about 20,000 people had to flee a blaze outside Reno.

In Northern California, a fire that started Sunday burned at least 30 homes and commercial buildings and destroyed at least 40 vehicles in Clearlake City, 110 miles (117 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023.

Evacuation orders were expanded Tuesday night as the fires grew and included parts of the popular ski town Big Bear. Some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, including those under mandatory evacuations and those under evacuation warnings, nearly double the number from the previous day. Three firefighters were injured in connection with the blaze, authorities said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday that a Norco man suspected of starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5 in Highland had been arrested and charged with arson. He was held in lieu of $80,000 bail.

Residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave the area, which is a popular destination for anglers, bikers and hikers. As of late Tuesday, the blaze had charred more than 54 square miles (140 square kilometers) of grass and brush with 14% containment, according to CalFire. It blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke.

The fire impacted key radio towers, including communication channels for those responding to the fire. The cooler weather could temper fire activity toward the end of the week, CalFire said in an update. Public safety power shutoffs were anticipated in parts of the Big Bear and Bear Valley areas and acrid air and safety concerns prompted several area districts to close schools through the end of the week.

In Orange County, the Airport Fire also burned some communications towers on top of a peak, though so far officials said they did not have reports of the damage disrupting police or fire communication signals in the area. The fire has slowed in some hillside areas affected by previous wildfires and sped up in others, zipping across newly-grown grasses, Doran said. He said firefighters were focusing on the eastern side of the blaze in Riverside County.

“That is where the fire has been pushing,” Doran said.

Associated Press reporters Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed.