Eric Reid Declines Practice Squad Offer From Washington

Update:

Free agent safety Eric Reid tells Rob Maaddi that Washington offered him a spot on their practice squad, but he declined the offer.

According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Washington Football Team is considering “all options” to replace injured S Landon Collins. 

That includes potentially signing free-agent S Eric Reid, who plays a similar role to Collins as a strong safety and is familiar with HC Ron Rivera from the past two years in Carolina defense. 

Keim adds time and cost will be a factor. The team would need to sign Reid by Wednesday for him to clear the COVID-19 protocols and he would have to agree for far less than the three-year, $22 million deal he signed last year with Carolina before being released this offseason. 

Rivera previously said Reid was not a fit with the team because of Collins’ presence, but if that changed he absolutely would look into bringing Reid in. 

“We’re in a fortunate position where we have Landon Collins. A guy like Eric Reid wouldn’t fit us here,” Rivera said last month. “But if we didn’t [have Collins], believe me, I’d call him. [Reid] has the ability to play in this league and hopefully, if somebody needs a strong safety, he’s a guy they would call.”

Reid, 28, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2013. He played out the final year of his four-year, $8,480,736 contract with the 49ers before signing a one-year contract with the Panthers in 2018.

Reid later signed a three-year contract is worth over $22 million with the Panthers last year, only for Carolina to release him heading into 2020. 

In 2019, Reid appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers and recorded 130 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, two recoveries and six pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 84 safety out of 86 qualifying players.

We have Reid listed in our Top 50 Available Free Agents list.