Cornerback D.J. Reed picked the Jets in free agency because he wants to work with head coach Robert Saleh and thinks New York's defensive scheme is a great fit for his services.
He also picked Gang Green because he felt the offer he received from the Seahawks, his former team, was disrespectful.
"I'm not going to talk specific numbers, but just to simply put it, I felt disrespected," Reed told reporters on Thursday. "At the end of the day, I get that it's a business. I wanted to stay in Seattle because I was comfortable there. It obviously didn't work out for the price reasons."
Reed ended up agreeing to a three-year, $33 million pact with New York earlier this week, one of the biggest signings for the Jets in free agency thus far.
He didn't want to bash his former employers, but Reed was certainly frustrated with the way he was treated on the open market.
"They made me an offer, but the offer—in my opinion and my agent's opinion—was disrespectful for my level of play and the player that I am," he said.
The 25-year-old corner and former fifth-round pick had a career year in 2021 with the Seahawks, recording 78 tackles while 10 passes defended and two interceptions. Now, he's reuniting with his former defensive coordinator, from the first two seasons of his career with the 49ers, ready for a chance to build something special in green and white.
"Coach Saleh, he's a great coach," Reed said. "He has an aura that he's one those guys that everybody in the building respects, just because you know he's real... He really grinds with players and I think that's why he's a player's coach. When he was the DC over there, his work speaks for itself."
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