San Francisco 49ers safety/linebacker Eric Reid is in the final year of his contract and being asked to transition to a new position. On Thursday, Reid told reporters that the 49ers are not committed to him beyond the 2017 season. Jaquiski Tartt, who filled in at the strong safety spot for three games, retained the starting job from Reid.
After being eased back into action against the Washington Redskins, Reid split snaps at inside linebacker with Ray-Ray Armstrong on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
"This is my contract year, so when they broke the news to me, I wondered what the reasoning was to make the move," Reid said on Thursday. "They were open and honest with me and told me they really believe it's best for the team and I can really excel at the position."
49ers general manager John Lynch jumped on KNBR Friday morning and said he gave Reid a little bit of advice. Lynch went through a similar situation during his own NFL career and knows you have to just play the game and let everything else work itself out.
Lynch said that Friday morning was the first time he had an opportunity to speak with Reid about the situation.
"We did have a good talk today and that was the first time we had really discussed all that," Lynch said. "But yes, I think that is part of this job is just to look players in the eye. I think also to lend some perspective. 'Hey, I've been in your shoes.'
"With Eric, it was that exactly. I've played the position he played. I made that transition to linebacker so maybe can I give some insight? Yeah, absolutely. Can I give some insight on how contract years can be stressful years? But just go play. Go play and these things have a way of taking care of themselves."
Lynch said the team wants to win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday but also wants to see who will be a part of the team's future. That means this season has become as much about evaluation as anything else.
Lynch continued, "Who are the type of guys we want to surround ourselves that will lead to success and the championships that we know are going to come? And then, who's going to be a part of that? So that's really what we're going through."
"That's to be determined," Lynch said when asked specifically about Reid's contract status. "Go play. Those things take care of themselves. The fact of the matter is, Eric Reid got hurt in game one of our opportunity to see him -- excuse me, up at Seattle (during Week 2). Jaquiski Tartt came in and played good football and so we feel like he earned that spot for now.
"There's a lot of football to be played and I commend (defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh. They're trying to find a position where he thinks Eric can excel and it's to be determined as to how successful that can be and I think Eric can control that."
You can listen to the entire interview with Lynch below.
