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HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) –
Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates following their 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Reed signed a National Football League free agent deal with the Houston Texans on Friday.
Ed Reed, the star safety who helped the Baltimore Ravens win last month’s Super Bowl, signed a National Football League free agent deal with the Houston Texans on Friday.
The contract, reportedly worth $15 million over three years, lured Reed away from a team where he played since being taken by the Ravens with the 24th pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
“This late in my career, you think about things differently,” Reed said. “It was just a matter of being somewhere that fits, for me and the team. It was perfect timing.”
Reed has 61 interceptions in 160 career NFL games, including seven of them returned for touchdowns. He has led the NFL in interceptions in three of his 11 NFL seasons.
Reed, selected to the Pro Bowl all-star game nine times, made 58 tackles and four interceptions in 16 games last season, but joined an exodus of talent from the Ravens since the championship run was completed.
“I’m proud to say the last game in Baltimore was a Super Bowl,” Reed said. “The relationships I had with people in Baltimore will never change. That 11 years — that was just storybook.”
Ravens superstar linebacker Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk retired while receiver Anquan Boldin was traded to San Francisco, safety Bernard Pollard was released and signed with Tennessee, free agent linebacker Dannell Ellerbe went to Miami and free agent linebacker Paul Kruger went to Cleveland.
