Eric Reid Would Accept One-Year Deal From 49ers

Eric Reid finally took his free agent visit on Monday by meeting with the Bengals, but he’d prefer to re-sign with the 49ers, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Indeed, Reid would accept a one-year deal from San Francisco at salary equal to his 2017 compensation ($5.676MM).

It’s unclear if the 49ers have made any sort of offer to Reid, but his affinity for the Bay Area and his teammates means the former first-round pick would like to remain in San Francisco, per Florio. Of course, it’s also fair to wonder if Reid isn’t receiving the sort of contract proposals he was initially hoping for (especially given that free agency is a month old), and is now attempting to reach out to his former team.

Nevertheless, Reid would offer an upgrade in a 49ers secondary that is currently projected to start Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt at safety. Reid, 26, was something of a playmaker during his first two NFL campaigns, as he posted seven total interceptions from 2013-14. While he hasn’t kept up that rate of turnover creation, Reid is still a solid starter, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 30 safety a year ago.

The safety market has developed at a snail’s pace this offseason, as Reid, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro all remain unsigned. Reid’s meeting with the Bengals was the first known visit for any of those three veteran defensive backs, and it’s unclear why the positional market isn’t generating interest. Reid, for his part, was notably a participant in the Colin Kaepernick-led anthem protests, but has indicated he will no longer continue the practice in 2018.

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