An NFL tight end who was selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 2016 has announced his retirement. Jordan Reed, who played with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, told ESPN he’s ending his NFL career due to lingering issues from multiple concussions.
“I was pretty sure I was going to keep playing; I was feeling good about where I was at,” Reed told ESPN. “But then I had some lingering effects and sought out professional help to get diagnosed. They told me it was not a good idea to keep playing. I agreed with them.” Earlier this year, Reed visited Orlando’s Plasticity Center for a brain scan. The results led to him deciding to retire.
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“Before, when I had a concussion, I would feel better afterwards and I wouldn’t have lingering effects,” Reed said. “If I didn’t have any symptoms, I would have kept playing,” he said. “I’m OK with it because I know the reason why I’m making the choice is for family and my children, so I can be there for them. It’s just time.” Reed signed with the 49ers before the start of the 2020 season. In his one season in San Francisco, Reed caught 26 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.
Reed, 30, spent his first seven seasons with the Washington Football Team. However, he didn’t play in 2019 due to a concussion he suffered during a preseason game. It was reportedly the seventh concussion Reed suffered in his NFL career. He never played a full season due to injuries, but Reed was one of the more content tight ends in the league when healthy.
Washington selected Reed in the third round of the NFL Draft. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after recording 45 receptions, 499 yards and three touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016 after tallying a career-high 87 receptions, 952 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Any time you get a player in the ilk of a Jordan Reed and you can come to an agreement and feel like health-wise it’s worth, I guess, the inherent risk involved,” 49ers general manager Johny Lynch said in August, per 49ers Web Zone. “It was a good decision for us, also to protect George, but George is going to play and he’s going to play a lot of football. He doesn’t like coming off the field and it’s hard to take him off the field because he is so complete, but it doesn’t just stop with Jordan Reed.
