Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed has had an interesting week. He may not be the CEO of Nvidia, but he is a manager of violence.
He got trade buzz at the trade deadline, but nothing happened.
Reed was away from proactive this week, due to a “personal issue.”
Was he mad about the trade rumors? Was it the birth of a baby? Mike Macdonald said it was a “good” personal issue. We may never know! Either way, it is a lot of drama for a 3rd-string DT, who is standing in the way of more playing time for young player, Rylie Mills.
Why was his name in the news? There may be some clues when we look at the patterns of the National Football League. Let’s go over all of the buzz that defensive tackles have been receiving 0ver the course of the 2026 NFL season.
New Money
Jalen Carter – Got $106M guaranteed
Quinnen Williams – Got $101M guaranteed
Leonard Williams – Got $30M per year average, among the top 5 highest paid DT’s
Vita Vea – Got $30M one-year extension as a nose tackle
Trades
Jeffrey Simmons – Was traded for two 1st-Round picks + a 4th for a 5th, AND $100M guaranteed earlier in the season
Davon Godchaux – Was traded for a conditional 6th-Round pick
Jordan Davis – Was traded for a 1st and a 2nd-Round pick
DeForest Buckner – Was traded for a 4th-Round pick
To put this all into perspective, five of the top six highest-paid DT’s in the league were ones that got new money this year, the 2026 NFL season. Interior defensive linemen were, arguably, the number one position as trade targets this year. Three of the top four teams with the highest Super Bowl odds traded for an IDL this year. Derrick Brown of the Panthers would’ve likely joined this list if the NFC South didn’t feel absolutely wide open this year.
This is not just a recent trend.
Jarran Reed is obviously not on the same level as Jeffrey Simmons, but, according to PFF, has 6 more pressures on 55 fewer snaps, when compared to Jordan Davis. Is it plausible that the Seattle Seahawks could have let their willingness to engage in negotiations leak, when they saw the DT craze taking hold across the league?
Ultimately, it didn’t happen, as Seattle must’ve seen a potential move as not worth it. Reed is a veteran leader, who is VERY well respected in the Seattle Seahawks’ locker room. He is the lone remaining vestige of a former “Legion of Boom” roster that is still around, and he may have a chance to show why in the City of Sin.
Leonard Williams is out for a second straight game. Reed should get plenty of work alongside Byron Muphy II. Mills and Brandon Pili should be on hand to relieve those two. I wouldn’t be shocked if this was Reed’s biggest game of the current campaign.
Next year (’27) will be the first year in three years that Reed’s salary cap hit will exceed his dead cap charge (according to Spotrac), making him an obvious cut candidate at 34 years of age (distressing as it is for all my fellow millennials, ancient, in NFL terms).
Can he latch on as a contributor somewhere else next year, to keep his NFL career going? One more contract could be a helluva motivator for the veteran DT in Vegas this weekend. Assuming that the FAA allows it to happen.
