It’s the first week of May and several notable NFL names are still floating in free agency. That list includes edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, quarterback and one-time MVP Cam Newton, the once unstoppable Devonta Freeman, and a well-accomplished safety on the right side of 30 in Eric Reid. 
[RELATED: Three Years Ago Today, The Panthers Signed Christian McCaffrey To His Rookie Deal]
It’s familiar territory for the 28-year-old, who waited all the way until September to find his home for 2018. In that offseason, Reid was coming off of yet another solid campaign as a starter for the 49ers. He was also viewed as controversial by some, thanks to his friendship and partnerships with Colin Kaepernick. Teams say otherwise, but the national anthem protests surely hampered Reid’s market. But, in the interest of equal time, it’s worth noting that other standout safeties – guys like Tre Boston, Tyvon Branch, Ron Parker, and Kenny Vaccaro – were also left waiting by the phone that year.
This time around, Reid still offers plenty of upside, though his platform year wasn’t as strong. His new career-high of 130 tackles – including four sacks – seems solid, but a deeper glance shows a few cracks. Pro Football Focus, for example, wasn’t fond of his work, which saw more than 77% of throws completed in his vicinity. After the season, the Panthers released Reid from the remaining year on his contract.
What’s next for Reid? There are several teams that make sense, but also far fewer clubs that are in desperate need of safety help post-draft. His younger brother, Justin Reid, is making a strong case for him to join up with the Texans. After releasing Tashaun Gipson last week, Reid would profile as a major upgrade to an underperforming secondary. The Cowboys, Raiders, and other contenders should also take a good look at him, especially since he can probably be had on a low-cost one-year deal. With that, and a strong season, Reid could be in position to cash in as a free agent next year – hopefully, in March this time.
Will go unsigned. Mediocre player with a big mouth. Easy pass
Ok Mr. GM. There’s a reason you aren’t in football lol.
Okay. Provide a counter-argument, since it’s so obvious why he’s not a GM. Let’s see it.
Why isn’t he signed? It’s simply because his ability doesn’t outweigh his baggage. You own an NFL team and you agree 100% with Reid’s stance. You still don’t want him. The baggage is the hassle from some fans and all the media that goes along with it. If it were Patrick Mahomes or Saquon Barkley or Aaron Donald your abilities outweigh your baggage. Eric Reid not so much.
I think your perspective is pretty darn good. What bothers me is that Goodell has proven himself to be quite a hypocrite when it comes to weighing baggage. I think the NFL needs to stop meddling in areas that have no bearing on football. If that trend continues, players will eventually have to justify why they wear boxers rather than briefs.
Antonio Brown might disagree with that. The difference between the guys you mentioned and Ried is not only talent but professionalism.
His friendship with Kaepernick is not the only reason Reid is controversial. He has a habit of attacking players on the field, like Carson Wentz and Ben Watson, and going after others verbally, like Malcolm Jenkins and Anquan Bollin. He is also still associated with Mark Geragos (he even asked him to find a way to invalidate the CBA during the vote) and previously sued the league for coercion to keep him out of the league, while still being employed by the Panthers.
Reid also, as the article did mention, is poor in pass coverage. He is a good box safety, is a big hitter, and has good hands, but his coverage instincts are terrible and he is very difficult to work with. His personality combined with the commonality of his skillset is why he is a free agent.
Your skill only outweighs your annoyance so long in the nfl
Where’s the rage?
In the cage.
Anyone know the source?
Heck NO!! No Way!!!!
Maybe I’m not alone….good riddance….I just want to watch football. If I wanted political crap on Funday Sunday I’d follow the biggest one’s Twitter every Sunday.
It’s not even the kneeling that is the issue with this guy. He’s another one of the twitter warriors, constantly complaining about his own team, talking crap about players on other teams, giving them motivation to beat him. Oh the injustice of life for poor Eric Reed. Sad thing is he just can’t understand how he is bringing this all on himself.
time to move on from football and start helping everyone he’s protesting for. he’d rather just complain about everything than actually doing something positive. only cares about himself.
Join your younger brother in Houston would be an awesome thing to watch