Former Washington Football Team tight end Jordan Reed retires

Former Washington Football Team tight end and one-time Pro Bowler Jordan Reed has retired from football at the age of 30 years old.

The Washington Football Team has since moved on, and has since found a new solution at tight end in veteran quarterback-convert Logan Thomas. But not long ago, Washington had a more recognizable name at the position. From 2013 to 2018, Jordan Reed was their man.

The Washington Football Team drafted Reed out of Florida, in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Reed failed to break out in his first two years, courtesy of an unstable quarterback situation in D.C. But when Kirk Cousins broke out in 2015, so too did the former Gator.

In 2015, Reed amassed 87 catches for 952 yards, 11 touchdowns, and countless highlights, breaking the record for receptions in a season by a Washington tight end. The following season, he reprised his role as one of the team’s top weapons, earning 66 catches for 686 yards and six scores, as well as his first and only Pro Bowl bid.

Reed might have gone to the all-star showcase more than once, but injuries played a hand in severely diluting his NFL career. The tight end never played a full season, and later in his Washington Football Team, his availability was increasingly scarce.

Reed missed ten games in 2017 with a hamstring injury, missed three games in 2018, and missed the entire 2019 season after suffering one of many concussions in the preseason against Atlanta.

Washington ultimately released Reed after his missed season and moved on to finding his successor. Reed, meanwhile, continued to recover from his concussion, and he was soon able to return to football again. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in August of 2020, and had a respectable season as a backup to George Kittle, earning 26 catches for 231 yards and four scores.

Reed’s ability to make circus catches, get open, and earn yards after catch will always be remembered, but for a player of his nature, who was battered year in and year out, the journey had to end at some point. NFL insider Ian Rapoport has confirmed that Reed has officially retired from the NFL.

There will always be a feeling of “what could have been” regarding Reed. But nevertheless, he was able to beat the odds and suit up one last time in 2020. Now, we can appreciate that Reed is ending his career on his own accord, and not due to injuries.