Free agent safety Ed Reed will leave the Baltimore Ravens and take his skills to the lone-star state as he plans to sign with the Houston Texans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Reed visited with the Texans last week but left Friday without a deal. He had dinner with Texans star receiver Andre Johnson and center Chris Myers, his former college teammates at Miami. Johnson said afterward that he was confident Reed would join the team.
According to reports, the Texans offered Reed a three-year deal in the salary range of $4 million annually, although Reed has been seeking a salary similar to the $7.2 million he earned last season.
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh indicated in a text message to NFL.com that Reed's stint may have saw its end, saying, "Ed is a great friend and player. I will always appreciate our time together ..."
During Tuesday's NFL owners meeting, Harbaugh addressed issues the franchise was having in with re-signing Reed, but stressed that all there is now is hope that things would change in the Ravens favor to retain the nine-time Pro Bowler.
"On the hopeful scale, I'd say it's of high hope," Harbaugh said at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday. "It's high on the measuring stick. We'll just have to see how it works out."
Reed, 34, has played all 11 of his NFL seasons in Baltimore, where he's the franchise leader in interceptions with 61. His 1,541 return yards with those pickoffs is an NFL career record. He was the NFL defensive player of the year in 2004 and an eight-time All-Pro.
Reed has 14 career touchdowns, and is the only player in NFL history to score on a punt return, a blocked punt, an interception and a fumble recovery. He played in all 16 games during the 2012 regular season, finishing with 58 tackles and a team-high four interceptions.
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