Seahawks Lock Up Jarran Reed with Two-Year Deal

Coming off a tough season hindered by a suspension, Reed will look to rediscover his dominant 2018 form and rebuild value for another run at free agency in 2022.

Entering free agency, the Seahawks top priorities revolved around retaining star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and defensive tackle Jarran Reed. While it remains unclear if they'll be able to keep both players, at least one of them will be back in Seattle in 2020.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Seahawks have re-signed Reed on a two-year deal worth $23 million. Guaranteed money has yet to be revealed.

Seattle has yet to confirm the signing, but based on Reed's social media reaction, he looks fired up to stay in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle is home #UnfinishedBusiness ☔️ pic.twitter.com/9cidsNj7OE

— jarran reed (@jarranreed) March 17, 2020

Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Reed looked poised to become one of the NFL's highest-paid defensive tackles. In a breakout 2018 campaign, he finished with a career-high 10.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits, helping Seattle return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

But Reed received a six-game suspension in July stemming from a domestic violence incident two years earlier, forcing him to sit until mid-October with Al Woods replacing him in the starting lineup. Upon his return, he wasn't the same impactful player, producing only 2.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 10 starts.

Speaking with reporters last month at the NFL Scouting Combine, coach Pete Carroll indicated that he felt Reed's 2018 production wasn't a fluke and the suspension among other factors set him back.

"I'm not going that way, at all," Carroll commented. "When you go back and watch his film that we've been through, his stuff already, and watch all the attempts at making sacks and the opportunities that were there, right in front of him, you know, he had six, probably five or six plays were he could have made a clean sack and it got away from him for one reason or another. That changes everything."

By paying him $11.5 million per year, Carroll and the Seahawks clearly believe Reed will bounce back in a big way in 2020. While he may never reach double digit sacks again, the team needs him to reward their faith by being far more productive rushing the passer than he was a year ago. 

If he can do that while starting with a clean slate and no suspension, Reed will have a prime opportunity to rebuild his value before hitting the market again in 2020 while setting Seattle up for another potential deep playoff run.