San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid is set to be a free agent after this season, and if he is not on a team by the time next season starts, he believes he’ll know why.
Reid has been one of the most committed protestors during the national anthem this season, and as higher-ups in teams across the league express their displeasure with the protests — even going as far as telling their fans that it’s the reason attendance has been bad — the safety knows it may affect his situation.
But it doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about that potential reality.
“I wouldn’t use the word concerned,” Reid said, via ESPN. “I would say I understand that’s a possibility. And I’m completely fine with it. The things that I’ve done, I stand by, and I’ve done that for my own personal beliefs. Like I said, I’m fine with whatever outcome happens because of that.”
The 26-year-old is in his fifth season in the NFL, and has recorded 47 tackles with a pair of interceptions this season. Presumably, a team that needs any level of help in the secondary would be more than happy to try and bring him in.
But there still is the possibility that he gets the treatment many think Colin Kaepernick has gotten by being blackballed by the league.
And again, if that’s the case, Reid sounds prepared to handle it.
“There are probably teams that won’t want to talk to me because of it,” Reid said. “I’m hopeful that I will be on a team next year, but if not, again, that’s OK with me.”
Reid will be an unrestricted free agent, so we should know relatively early in the process where teams around the league stand on him.
