Eagles' Jenkins: Eric Reid's activism played role in lack of offers
Philadelphia Eagles veteran Malcolm Jenkins and free agent Eric Reid are two of the NFL's most socially active players, but the fellow safeties haven't always seen eye to eye.
The two co-founded the Players Coalition along with retired receiver Anquan Boldin, but Reid left the group just before an accord was struck with the NFL in October that would contribute nearly $90 million to causes considered important to African-American communities, citing differences in opinion between him and Jenkins.
The 26-year-old Reid - who was the first player to protest during the national anthem alongside Colin Kaepernick - has yet to sign this offseason despite stating he won't kneel next season.
Jenkins doesn't think it's a coincidence.
"Absolutely. It would be hard to say that he's not getting any calls just on talent alone," Jenkins told ESPN's Tim McManus. "I think any team that is considering him is going to weigh his political views and the strong stance that he's taken the last couple years, and that's unfortunate, but it's just kind of what it is.
"So hopefully, teams will look past that and evaluate him as a player, and I think as a player he deserves a spot in this league. But I'd be kidding myself if I said that his stance isn't playing a role in him not having a call yet."
The free-agent safety market was slow to develop, with top players like Morgan Burnett waiting over a week to sign and inking deals much smaller than anticipated.
However, most of the notable free-agent safeties have now found new homes, while Reid has yet to have a reported team visit.