Safety Eric Reid has a visit lined up with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It is the first known free agent visit for the Pro Bowl safety who has failed to garner much interest from NFL teams this offseason.
One team that did try to sign Reid was the one that drafted him – the San Francisco 49ers. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the 49ers offered him a one-year deal to re-sign with the team. Reid, who is seeking a long-term deal, decided to pass.
"There's been questions about why Reid is unsigned," Garafolo said. "The anthem stuff plays into it. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that there's 32 teams that are only staying away from Eric Reid because of financials or play on the field. I'm sure that the anthem is a factor for at least some of them."
Reid was among the first players to join former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the pre-game national anthem as a way to protest social injustice and bring awareness to the issue. Even after Kaepernick was no longer with San Francisco (or in the NFL), Reid continued to kneel. However, he has already stated that he will cease kneeling during the national anthem in 2018.
"But others have shown interest in signing him or at least talking to him," Garafolo continued. "I know that the San Francisco 49ers talked to Eric Reid about re-signing him but early in the process, they wanted to do a one-year deal with him because they've got some younger guys or might look to draft a safety so they couldn't make a long-term commitment.
"But I am told he wanted a long-term deal with a significant guarantee, and the Niners just weren't in a position to do that. So that's why he didn't return to San Francisco. And it's also why in a market that was a little slim on money for the safeties, that he's had to wait a little bit."
Reid understood that his decision to continue taking part in the protests during the final year of his contract could impact his value on the open market. He addressed the situation after Stanford's pro day in March. Reid's younger brother, Justin, played for the Cardinal and is projected by NFL.com to be selected within the first two rounds of this month's draft.
"As I said before, I stand by what I've done, I know why I've done it," Reid said after the pro day. "My faith in God is the reason. I can go to sleep at night confident that I did what I was called to do."
The 49ers made Reid the 18th-overall selection out of LSU in 2013. Over his five-year NFL career, Reid has 70 game appearances, started all but one of those games, registered 318 combined tackles, 10 interceptions, a sack, 34 passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.