49ers: Jordan Reed explains why he almost retired last year

San Francisco 49ers’ tight end Jordan Reed explained why he almost retired last year.

New San Francisco 49ers‘ tight end Jordan Reed hasn’t had the easiest NFL career. A talented former Pro Bowler, Reed has never played a full 16-game in his professional career.

While his talent has never been called into question, Reed simply hasn’t been able to step foot on the field due to a variety of injuries during his time playing football.

And the vast majority of those injuries have been concussions. In fact, Reed has been diagnoses with a total of seven concussions throughout his football career, four of which came while playing in the NFL.

For that reason, Reed hasn’t been able to reach his full potential despite upper-echelon talent. And his latest concussion suffered last summer nearly forced him to quit the sport he loves.

Reed spoke with 49ers reporters on Sunday following practice and he talked about his road to redemption. More specifically, he spoke about how he nearly retired following his seventh concussion last year.

But in the end, it was the Big Game itself that convinced Reed to give it one more go.

"“It was when I saw the Super Bowl, that ignited me again. I want to play in those big games. God blessed me to be here and put me in that situation. I love the game of football and I still have the drive to keep playing.”"

Watching the 49ers in the Super Bowl convinced Jordan Reed not to retire.

That’s right, Reed saw the 49ers play the Chiefs in the Super Bowl and he realized that he still wanted to play football. And after losing for years in Washington, it’s hard to blame him.

Now, Reed will have the opportunity to play for the team he watched play this past February. And he’ll be tasked with helping the team not only return to the promised land, but come away victorious this time around.

Reed has received plenty of opportunities in practice with Ross Dwelley sidelined for the past week with a foot injury and George Kittle missing the last handful of practices with a tight hamstring.

And provided he stays healthy, Reed figures to play a big role in the 49ers’ offense. Just imagining a tight end duo of Kittle and Reed was enough to get fans excited this offseason.

If all goes according to plan, we’re only a couple of weeks away from seeing the two of them take the field together.

And for Jordan Reed, I’m sure it will feel good to step back on the gridiron again.