Jets to start season without holdout DE Haason Reddick - ESPN

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