Veteran safety Ed Reed was quick to cut a deal with the Jets, but said upon his arrival in New York that the Patriots and Dolphins also touched base over the last 24 hours.
“I don’t think either one of them wanted me in their conference,” Reed said, via Darryl Slater of the Newark Star-Ledger.
While the admiration Patriots coach Bill Belichick has for Reed is well-documented, the Dolphins pursuit seems unusual (or either a PR ploy to make everybody look at something other than Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin).
Reed said he was confident that he could still play at a high level, saying: “I don’t think I’d be here if they [the Jets] didn’t think that,” he said. “I know what I know. I know what I feel and I know what I put into my offseason workout.”
He also took offense at the suggestion he was old and washed up, saying he was unfairly portrayed as having lost a step during his short stint with the Texans.
“When you critique me, you’ve got to critique everybody,” he said. “But it seems that Ed Reed is held to a higher standard – and I created that monster. I’ve been blessed to create that monster. I love it. I’m all for it.”
What he can offer the Jets remains to be seen, but the fact there was a degree of demand — especially within the division — justifies the purchase for the Jets regardless.