New England Patriots Free Agency: Ed Reed wants to stay with Baltimore Ravens
Last week, reports surfaced that the New England Patriots are prepared to give Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed $5 million in order to get a temporary upgrade at the free safety position. Although most fans are for the Patriots signing Reed, I don’t view him as a great fit for the team with one of the reasons being his age and price tag. Even Ravens fans in a message board I visit believe giving $5 million to Reed is far too much.
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Appearing this morning on NFL AM on the NFL Network, Ed Reed said this about his future plans and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, “They win [Super Bowls]. At the Super Bowl, I was asked if I would play for Coach Belichick and my answer was: ‘What player wouldn’t play for Coach Belichick?’ He is a good football coach, has a great mind for football. I met Coach Belichick at a Pro Bowl. He is a great guy, great competitor and seems to understand his players. I was just asked the question at the time [but] I am a Raven, plan on being a Raven. I couldn’t see myself anywhere else, but if it happens, I am a football player, I can adapt to any situation.”
It seems like throughout this whole process the Reed-Patriots angle has been getting a bit overblown, because some were saying that Reed would jump in a heartbeat to play in New England. While Reed would likely sign with the Pats, he was only saying he “would” if it came down to it due to his respect for the team and for Belichick. As we all know, Belichick feels the same way, and I’m almost certain the other Patriots players have a high amount of respect for Ed Reed as well.
Reed will likely stick with the Baltimore Ravens, because that’s the team he has played for throughout his career and his team of choice. In all honesty, a part of me hopes he stays with the Ravens, just because I love it when players stick with a team for their career (Tom Brady). Reed and the Ravens still haven’t talked about getting a deal done yet, but even the grandiose contract given to Joe Flacco won’t affect negotiations significantly if both sides have a high amount of interest in getting a deal done. I am sure that’s the case, but things could get interesting if Reed hits the free agent market with the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts likely vying for his services.
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