Reed Blankenship appeared to take a subtle jab at the Philadelphia Eagles after securing a deal with the Houston Texans. The defensive back agreed to a three-year contract worth $24.75 million, marking a major payday and a fresh start following his time in Philadelphia.

Speaking on the “Exciting Mics” podcast on Thursday, Blankenship described how the Texans made him feel while discussing a deal to sign him in free agency. He made it clear that it was something he had never felt before in his career.

“I was a little nervous. Just antsy. Kyle was doing a great job of keeping me updated on what teams were interested, and it was all great,” Blankenship said. “It was all good news, and it felt like I was wanted. I felt like I’ve never really had that with my whole career.

“When Houston started calling, it really felt like they wanted to take a shot, take a chance on me. And it was great. I loved it. Obviously, you still have that feeling of there’s still a chance I could possibly come back to Philly. You didn’t know, I didn’t know. And that’s just how the business rolls. That’s how it goes.”

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Reed Blankenship went undrafted in 2022 but was picked up by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent. He spent four years with the franchise, amassing 308 tackles, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, 23 passes defended and nine interceptions. The safety brings Super Bowl-winning experience to the well-established Texans defense.

Reed Blankenship explains how free agency felt

Heading into free agency can be a really bittersweet time for NFL players. It offers a new beginning with a lot of uncertainties clouding the future. Reed Blankenship explained what it felt like for a couple of weeks before he eventually inked a deal with the Houston Texans.

“My most important job was just to be around my phone regardless,” Blankenship said. “We kind of came up with a game plan the week before, and that’s what Kyle was saying. ‘You need to be around your phone. You can do normal stuff, just have your phone with you.’

“And I’m like, ‘Dude, I don’t want to go somewhere and then I missed a call.’ Because he said things can happen really quickly. You don’t want to have somebody that offers you, then you don’t answer and the offer is off the table because you only have like five minutes to respond.”

There was a chance of Reed Blankenship returning to the Eagles while he was heading to free agency. However, the team had a hard limit on what they were willing to pay to retain him despite being a key starter and team captain. The Texans ended up taking advantage of the situation.