Free agent safety Eric Reid admits he has not received any contract offers for the 2020 NFL season despite ranking third in solo tackles in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers.

This revelation came after Colin Kaepernick claimed that the NFL is actively “blackballing” Reid.

For what it's worth, Reid's former Panthers coach and current Washington Football Team tactician Ron Rivera said it is rather surprising that the former Pro Bowl safety is still in the market considering his obvious talents and good character.

“I would tell them he's a heck of a teammate,” Rivera said, per The Associated Press. “He came in and the young man did exactly what was asked of him. He was not an issue. I will say this, too. He's a young man who really, truly helped me understand the entire movement that's going on right now. He's a heck of a young man. I'll tell you that much.”

Of course, the reason that Eric Reid remains unsigned has nothing to do with his on-field abilities, as those are beyond doubt. He made the NFL Pro Bowl in his rookie season in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers after being drafted 18th overall out of LSU. Although he had no interceptions in 2019, he did produce a career-high four sacks.

With that said, one possible reason is because he was one of the major players to kneel during the national anthem alongside his former 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick in 2016 to protest police brutality towards black people – a pioneering move that continues to reverberate around the NFL, the sports world and beyond.