Former Chicago Bears quarterback Austin Reed had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens this week, which came to an end on Friday when the team chose to waive him.
Aaron Wilson reported the news via social media on the evening Friday, November 6.
“#Ravens waived Austin Reed and finalized Jacoby Brissett trade terms from #Cardinals,” Wilson wrote on X.
Austin Reed Has Played in Past 3 NFL Preseasons, Has Yet to Earn Shot in Regular-Season Game
Reed inked a deal with the Ravens practice squad this week following injuries to both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley last Sunday. Jackson is likely to miss several weeks due to thumb surgery, while Huntley is going to sit out the remainder of the season with turf toe.
The team elevated Reed to the active roster ahead of Thursday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which the Ravens lost by 23 points. Undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano started for Baltimore, completing 10-of-18 passes and throwing two interceptions.
Reed, now 26 years old, spent time with the organization in the offseason but did not make the 53-man roster. Baltimore’s decision to release him on Friday came after the team completed its trade with the Arizona Cardinals for Brissett, a seasoned veteran with 109 career appearances and 73 starts on his resumé.
Reed has also spent time with Chicago in both 2024 and 2025, playing in the preseason and occupying a spot on the practice squad for stretches of time. However, the undrafted QB out of Western Kentucky in 2024 has still never played a regular-season snap in the NFL.
Bears Could Have Need for Austin Reed if They Trade Case Keenum, Tyson Bagent Ahead of Deadline
Reed’s future in the NFL is now in question as he heads back to free agency, though his best chance of getting back into the league might actually be with the Bears.
There is no place for Reed in Chicago currently, though 38-year-old Case Keenum is on the final year of his contract and could be a trade candidate ahead of next week’s deadline after showing more than a little something in a start/win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 (more than 250 all-purpose yards and three total TDs).
Tyson Bagent, currently Caleb Williams’ backup QB, is on a two-year deal and has also played this season. His has been a name swirling around trade rumors stretching back to the Combine in February.
It is possible the Bears aren’t employing either Bagent or Keenum come next year’s midseason trade deadline, if not before. And given Reed’s pro history is confined to stints in Chicago and Baltimore, and that the Ravens just waived him, the Bears seem like the best path forward for Reed in the league — if one ever opens up again.
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