The San Francisco 49ers sound open to a reunion with safety Eric Reid. Reid, however, might not be open to the available role. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained on Tuesday that Reid would be a backup on defense, which means the 49ers would not be willing to pay him what he is likely seeking.
"I don't think that's what Eric wants," Shanahan said. "I told you the reason we decided to go that direction is because we made a tough decision, but we had to do it. We went with Tartt. We thought that was the right way to go. You can't give a lot of money to backups, and that's what he would be if he came here.
"But, I like Eric. Eric is a good player. He's a good person. That'd be great if we could add him in that role. I don't think he would be that interested in it."
There was a report by NFL Network that the 49ers offered Reid a one-year, minimum deal, so the door appears to be open to him. He would just need to do so on their terms.
Over five months have passed since Reid became a free agent and very few opportunities have presented themselves. The Tennessee Titans were reportedly interested after Johnathan Cyprien tore his ACL. Reid, along with former New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro, was supposed to work out for the team earlier this month. Flight issues from New Jersey to Tennessee prevented him from doing so.
The Titans moved forward by signing Vaccaro.
Then there is the issue of Reid's collusion grievance filed in May against the NFL. He is accusing team owners of blackballing him because he knelt during the national anthem. Reid has already stated that he will cease kneeling in 2018 — assuming he is on an NFL roster.
"We understand you have to change with the times," Reid explained in March. "I'm not saying I'm going to stop being active because I won't. I'm just going to consider different ways to be active, different ways to bring awareness to the issues of this country and improve on the issues happening in this country."
Reid spent his first five NFL seasons with the 49ers, who made him the 18th-overall draft pick in 2013.