The San Francisco 49ers have a pivotal offseason in front of them. After missing out on the postseason last year, they will be actively looking to improve the roster.
Ahead of free agency, they started with some addition by subtraction, trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick.
Next up, the legal tampering period begins on March 10 at 9 a.m. PST, and teams will get a chance to speak with players on the open market. One guy who is going to hit free agency has ties to the 49ers and makes them an ideal landing spot.
D.J. Reed Could Sign With the 49ers in Free Agency
According to Connor Hughes of SNY, CB D.J. Reed isn't expected to re-sign with the New York Jets, and a reunion in San Francisco would make a ton of sense.
Context here: Reed is, per multiple teams, top FA corner. Hes gonna get paid. Belief is it will be hard to pay both him & Sauce. https://t.co/bc6mH3ORJB
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 2, 2025
Charvarius Ward will become a free agent, so the 49ers will have a void in the secondary. That's where a player like Reed could come in. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the 49ers and spent two seasons with them.
He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Jets, where he crossed paths with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Saleh brought him over to New York on a three-year, $33 million deal ahead of the 2022 NFL season. Over the next two and half seasons under Saleh, Reed played some of the best ball of his career. In 46 games in New York, he finished with 220 total tackles, seven TFLs, 32 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
During his tenure with the Jets, he finished with PFF overall and coverage grades over 70 in all three seasons. He has familiarity playing in Saleh's scheme while suiting up for the franchise for two seasons (2018-2019).
This combined with the 49ers' need at the position, makes this the perfect free-agent addition. With San Francisco slated to have $51 million in cap space and Reed's market value listed at $14.7 million per Spotrac, there's certainly a pathway to Reed signing with San Francisco.