When a 41-year-old quarterback and future Hall of Famer refuses to take accountability, the result is predictable: fingers get pointed.
And after a loss that dropped the New York Jets to 3-9, D.J. Reed opted to point the fingers toward the officials. Now, the team’s starting cornerback opposite Sauce Gardner, who has played at an All-Pro level since arriving in New York in 2022, has a point.
But when you’re six games under .500, find new ways to lose every week, have already fired your head coach and general manager and are one of the most penalized teams in the league, you often don’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Now, the Jets often get handed the short end of the stick from officiating crews—and it’s been that way for years. That’s not a jilted fan talking, but a reality of the situation. The problem is that New York is often unable to overcome being bogged down by a bad call.
There were many reasons why the Jets lost to the Seahawks, 26-21, in Week 13.
But for Reed, he chose to take issue with the officiating. Around 4:35 p.m. ET, Reed took to X (formerly Twitter) to air some grievances. And Sunday was his own personal Festivus, as he told the official NFL officiating account that not only did they “fxcking suck,” but that they should also be “ashamed of yall selves.”
As of this article’s writing, Reed’s post was still up. However, we included a screenshot of the post below in case it gets deleted.
#Jets CB DJ Reed after today’s loss: pic.twitter.com/QNB1YRHeJj
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 1, 2024
It’s unknown which calls Reed was particularly perturbed about. The Jets were penalized 12 times for 83 yards, and those were the ones that were accepted.
He was called for a holding penalty in the first quarter with the Jets up 14-0. On a play in which Geno Smith scrambled for three yards, the officials ruled that Reed had held Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. He clearly disagreed and was incensed. On the following play, Smith connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 25-yard gain on a drive where Seattle would eventually march down the field and score its first touchdown of the afternoon.
DJ Reed called for holding. #Jets pic.twitter.com/VWuEpGKkm3
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 1, 2024
So, we can see why Reed would be upset with the officiating.
Reed also appeared to get away with a taunt, for what it’s worth.
How is that not a taunting penalty on DJ Reed? I hate taunting penalties but that’s a taunt!
— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) December 1, 2024
Blaming the officials might feel good in the moment, but at 3-9, the Jets have bigger problems to fix — and D.J. Reed’s rant could end up costing him more than just his temper.
