At least one person close to Ed Reed says the Baltimore Ravens safety isn't about to sit out training camp in pursuit of a new contract.
"Everyone is talking about a holdout," one of Reed's family members told Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. "Ed isn't going to hold out. He told me he isn't going to hold out. He speaks his mind about some things, gets some things off his chest, but he's never said he is going to hold out. He'll show up when he has to be there and he'll play out his contract."
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That contract -- the $40 million deal he signed in 2006 -- expires after this season. Reed has mystified listeners of late with hints of everything from a holdout to retirement.
Sources told La Canfora the Ravens offered a multiyear contract to Reed two days before the 2011 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That deal would have kept Reed in Baltimore for less than $8 million per year, closer to what safeties Eric Weddle of the San Diego Chargers and Michael Huff of the Oakland Raiders earn. The Ravens, hugged up against the salary cap, are conscious of Reed's age. At 33, his chances to land another long-term deal appear slim.
Reed doesn't have an agent, meaning the Ravens are negotiating directly with the player. The safety isn't hurting for money. He's saved millions, according to La Canfora. This has to do with respect and commitment (and, come on, it's always about greenbacks). We won't know how serious Reed is about wanting a new deal until the Ravens open camp later in July. His presence -- or absence -- will be far less confusing than Reed's words over the past few months.
