Jets' D.J. Reed Says Seahawks Made 'Disrespectful' Contract Offer in Free Agency

Cornerback D.J. Reed spent the last two years with the Seattle Seahawks but signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the New York Jets on Tuesday. That change of scenery was seemingly made easier after Seattle made him a contract offer he didn't particularly appreciate.  

"They made me an offer, but the offer, in my opinion and my agent's opinion, was disrespectful for my level of play and the player I am," he told reporters Thursday. "I don't want to get into specifics because I don't want to bash anybody or do anything like that, but I definitely know my worth should be more. That's how I feel. I'm grateful to be a Jet."

Reed, 25, started 14 games for the Seahawks last year, registering 78 tackles, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed and a fumble recovery. 

Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 96 player in all of football last year, noting that he "allowed only a 66.0 passer rating when targeted, with just 51.5% of those targets being caught by the intended receiver."

Not bad for a player who comes in at 5'9" and 188 pounds, small by cornerback standards in the modern NFL.

"I feel like I'm a CB1," he told reporters. "I think it's obvious, but people look at my height and say, 'Oh, he's a good CB2.' Well, like, no. If you watch the tape from last year and the year before that, it's CB1. My stats compared to the All-Pros last year, from Jalen Ramsey to A.J. Terrell to—who else was it?—J.C. Jackson. My stats are with those guys. And I'm going to take another step this year."

His rise in the NFL has certainly been impressive, going from a fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2018 who was cut after two seasons—and who played under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, now the Jets' head coach—to a player who put together a fantastic 2021 season and got the bag in free agency. 

Say this for Reed—he doesn't lack for confidence. 

"Honestly, man, I knew I was gifted, even in high school," he said. "Even when I had no offers, I knew I was special. I knew God created me as his masterpiece."

All he wanted was for the Seahawks to pay him masterpiece money. Instead, he's headed to the Big Apple, joining fellow free-agent signee and safety Jordan Whitehead in a reworked Jets secondary.