Will the 49ers Attempt to Sign TE Jordan Reed?
Adding tight ends to find a complimentary player for George Kittle has been a goal of the 49ers since the start of the offseason. A goal that just might still be on the table for the red and gold.
Former Washington tight end Jordan Reed is still available and is garnering interest for a few teams per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The 49ers could very well be one of those teams, or at least would be considering to bring him on. It wouldn't be the first time that the Niners considered the idea of Reed on the team. Back in late March, the 49ers had reportedly talked to Reed's agent.
And even though they have added the likes of Charlie Woerner and Chase Harrell, I wouldn't rule out the 49ers playing with the idea of signing Reed. There is familiarity with Reed after all since Kyle Shanahan was in Washington when he was drafted. If Shanahan has a soft spot for Reed, then he'll do what he can to bring him in.
At this point in the offseason, Reed could come at a cheaper price than he would have back in March. Any deal that he is offered will very likely be a "prove it" deal laced with incentives. That is the smartest way to construct a contract with Reed since he has practically spent his entire career injured.
So will the 49ers attempt to sign Reed?
I definitely wouldn't put it past them to do so because Reed would be their best receiving option outside of Kittle. However, if the 49ers really do attempt and execute the signing of Reed, then they will have sent a horrible message to the team.
Raheem Mostert has been requesting a pay raise from the team since the offseason began. Rather than give him a simple $2 million bump to put his salary on par with Tevin Coleman, a player that he is way better than, the 49ers go out and sign Reed?
That would be ludicrous.
Now, Reed would not come at a steep price at all. Like I said, his deal will almost assuredly be a incentive based, so he's not really bothering the salary cap should he be added. But it isn't so much about the money. It is the principle of the matter.
The 49ers would rather sign a free agent than to reward their second-best offensive player. Not only does it send a terrible message to Mostert, it sends a terrible message to the rest of the team.
Adding Reed now would not a bad pickup for the 49ers. It is a low-risk, high-reward situation. But the risk is higher because of the message it would send. The 49ers would be wise to not play with fire on this one. They could end up burning themselves.
