One Seahawks veteran might be going into his very last training camp battle

When Pete Carroll was looking to rebuild his defense in the 2023 offseason, he opted to bring in a quality pass rusher on a multi-year deal, while also bringing a veteran fan favorite back to the Seattle Seahawks after some time away. Neither player was Jarran Reed, though both those descriptors would fit.

Now, as we embark on the 2025 season, Carroll is long gone. So are Dre'Mont Jones, the pass rusher, and Bobby Wagner, the fan favorite. Jarran Reed remains.

This was by no means a foregone conclusion when the disappointing 2024 season came to a close. Reed had once again played very well, but he had just turned 32, and the two-year deal he signed before the ’23 season was up. General manager John Schneider did not have very much cap space, so a veteran like Reed, no matter how steady he had been, was likely to find better offers elsewhere.

Jarran Reed continues to thrive regardless of the Seahawks' system

As he entered his ninth pro season in 2024, Jarran Reed was learning his fifth consecutive new defensive system. In his first five years, from the time Carroll and Schneider traded up in the 2016 draft to select the University of Alabama product, Reed had continuity, and he thrived.

He lined up at left tackle and proved to be a complete player, able to generate pass pressure from the inside while also playing the run.

After ’20, he signed one-year deals with both Kansas City and Green Bay before returning to Seattle. During his second stint, Carroll tried him out at nose tackle, the most thankless job on the defense. Reed is 6’3” and just over 300 pounds. That’s mammoth by general population standards, but it is small for a nose tackle. Reed may not have liked it, but he did what was asked.

In 2024, now learning Mike Macdonald’s defense, Reed was supposed to cede time to highly-touted rookie Byron Murphy II. But a funny thing happened. Reed outplayed Murphy, relegating the rookie to a supporting role.

When John Schneider chose to shed some high-priced salaries this off-season, suddenly there was space to bring Reed back. That in and of itself wasn’t terribly surprising. Everyone who has ever coached Reed has raved about his intelligence and preparation. You want players like him on your team.

The fact that Schneider gave him a three-year deal at $22 million came as a bit of a surprise. Typically, when a player gets a contract like that, he figures to be a big part of his squad’s future.

That may be true of Jarran Reed as well, but there are mitigating factors. First, there is Murphy. Now entering his second season, he needs snaps, and they are not likely to come at the expense of Leonard Williams.

Add to that the drafting of Rylie Mills in the fifth round this year. Like Murphy, Mills figures to be a major part of the Hawks’ defense of the future. He is the exact type of disruptive lineman Macdonald likes – long and athletic with very good short-area quickness.

If Macdonald wants to get both Murphy and Mills on the field in 2025, Reed is likely to be the player surrendering snaps. If Murphy and Mills prove to be as good as some analysts predict, Reed could be giving up more than snaps.

That three-year contract is front-loaded. His dead cap hit drops significantly in the final two seasons. On a strictly financial level, Seattle is locked into Reed for 2025, but not beyond that. Therefore, despite the three-year contract, there is a decent chance this will be Jarran Reed’s final training camp with the Seahawks.

It’s a good problem to have. Reed becomes expendable if – and only if – Murphy and Mills prove they can handle major playing time going forward. If any questions remain, they still have Reed in the fold to provide the kind of quality line play he has done throughout his career.