On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs landed a big fish on the free agent market in former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who signed a new one-year, $7 million deal with the team. On Wednesday, Reed spoke to the Kansas City media for the first time since joining his new squad.
By the sound of it, the 28-year-old disruptor is ready to take the field as soon as possible after sending a strong message about his aspirations for next season.
“The goal is to come in and wreak havoc and just play some good football, some good old school football,” Reed told reporters during his introductory press conference.
“The goal is to come in and wreak havoc,” new Chiefs DT Jarran Reed said of joining the defensive line and playing alongside Frank Clark and Chris Jones.
Reed said Clark, Jones played a large role in the recruitment process to have him sign in KC.
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Reed Sought out ‘Chance to Go Win a Championship’
A 2016 second-round pick of the Seahawks, Reed was cut loose earlier this month due to financial differences with Seattle, who according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, was unwilling to extend Reed to the long-term commitment he desired in an effort to drop his nearly $14 million cap hit for 2021.”
The Chiefs quickly closed on a deal with the former Alabama standout and even beat our seven other teams for his services, per The Athletic’s Nate Taylor. On Wednesday, Reed revealed that, aside from a reunion with his former Seahawks teammate Frank Clark, the Chiefs’ championship potential is what sealed the deal.
“It wasn’t about the money,” Reed said. “I wanted to be on a contending team with a chance to go win a championship and a chance to go play in the Super Bowl. The family vibes that are around the building, the team that they have and the way that they work is great. It attracts players and it attracted me as well. I just wanted to be somewhere that was going to have a chance to play for a championship, have a chance to play for a Super Bowl ring.
“We all play football to provide for our families. But, at the same time, the game is to get a ring, not just to keep playing for regular seasons. It’s to keep playing after the regular season is done. It’s been done here for a number of years and hopefully we can do it again.”
When asked about at what point of his career he realized that a Super Bowl ring was a priority, Reed acknowledged that he may have had more lucrative offers elsewhere, but Kansas City’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances speak for themselves.
“You can’t be greedy, you can’t keep putting your hand in the cookie jar, because you want to build a great team,” Reed continued. “So to do that, sometimes you’ve got to leave some on the table. Everybody has different philosophies of what they go by, but I just wanted to be on a great team.”
Chiefs to Utilize Reed in Similar Role
After entering the league as primarily a run stuffer, Reed broke out in a huge way in 2018 with career-highs in quarterback hits (24) and sacks (10.5) alongside Clark, who paced the Seahawks with 13.0 sacks that year. The 6-foot-3, 306-pounder spent some of his time on Wednesday reflecting on the chemistry that Seattle group had and how he expects he’ll be used in a similar fashion next season.
“I talked with coach Spags [Steve Spagnuolo] and coach [Brendan] Daly a few days ago, especially during the process. I’m kind of going to be used the same way I was in Seattle. Wherever the team needs me to play, I’ll be there to play it.”
Jarran Reed says based on his conversations with Steve Spagnuolo and Brendan Daly, he expects to play the same type of role that he played in Seattle. That would mean playing primarily on the left side, both at tackle and some left edge while still playing multiple spots.
After a six-game suspension limited his playing time and production in 2019, Reed got back on the stat sheet with 14 quarterback hits and 6.5 sacks last year playing alongside a Clark-esque edge precense in Carlos Dunlap.
With Pro Bowler Chris Jones now flanking him up the middle, Reed also expects the duo to help each other make even more plays in the backfield as they draw double-teams away from one another. The veteran pass rushers also have a solid group of young guns to spell them and mentor along the way, including former third-rounders Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders and last season’s undrafted rookie standout Tershawn Wharton.
Chiefs signing Jarran Reed is an even bigger deal than it might look on paper. @jarranreed and @TheRealFrankC_ are tight going back to days in Seattle. Two dawgs will feed off one another. Rich got richer.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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New Chiefs DT Jarran Reed Sends Strong Message on 2021 Season