Since the start of the free agency period, veteran safety Eric Reid has remained available on the open market without much interest in his services. This has brought into question the possible reasoning behind why he hasn't worked a deal with any team in the last couple of months.
Despite the lack of chatter, the 49ers have remained in the picture for a potential return. According to Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group, general manager John Lynch voiced that San Francisco has stayed in communication with Reid that he doesn't want to close the door on that scenario.
#49ers John Lynch says they've been in communication with Eric Reid, adds: "It's just the safety market has been incredibly slow and Eric's been a victim of that. … Some of that is Eric's discretion of where he wants to be. We won't close the door on that."
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 23, 2018
Through his first five years in the league with the 49ers, Reid had become a key cog in the secondary for the 49ers. However, the organization doesn't have any significant interest in keeping him aboard on a long-term deal despite still having a plethora of salary cap space.
Reid has voiced his desire to stay with San Francisco even stating that he would agree to play on last season's salary of $1.5 million. It just hasn't become serious at any point over the last few months with any team aside from visiting the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of weeks ago.
There has been a growing belief that his involvement and support of Colin Kaepernick hasn't endeared him well around the league. Keep in mind, Kaepernick has been out of the league since the end of the 2016 season due to team's believing his political stance becoming more of a distraction away from the game.
Things could pick up after the draft this week as teams round out their rosters ahead of training camp. Reid is in the prime of his career and has proven to be a valuable asset in the secondary having earned a Pro Bowl alternate nod in his rookie campaign while recording 318 total tackles with 10 interceptions, and 34 pass deflections over his first five seasons.
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