Jalen Reeves-Maybin Eyes Future Beyond Football, But Leaves Door Open for 10th NFL Season
SAN FRANCISCO - Jalen Reeves-Maybin has always been a player who does the little things right - a special teams ace, a locker room leader, and a steady presence on and off the field. Now, as he weighs the possibility of returning for a 10th NFL season, he’s looking for more than just a roster spot. He’s looking for the right fit - professionally, personally, and purposefully.
“I’m deep into my career and I know I can still do it,” Reeves-Maybin said during Super Bowl week. “I think I played well this year when I did, but it has to be the right situation for me.”
That’s not just about scheme or playing time. At 31, with a growing family and a significant leadership role as NFLPA president, Reeves-Maybin is balancing more than just X’s and O’s. His love for the game is still there, but so is a growing awareness of life beyond the gridiron.
“I have other priorities that are kind of creeping up there with just me as a football player,” he said. “My family’s growing, I put a lot into my role [with the NFLPA], so we’ll see what happens. I’m open to it, but I’m going to be picky and I’m going to get to a place where I feel like I’m set up nice and have comfort.”
That measured approach makes sense for a player who’s carved out a career through grit and versatility. A fourth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2017, Reeves-Maybin spent seven of his first eight seasons with the Detroit Lions. He had a brief stint with the Houston Texans in 2022 before returning to Detroit, only to be released last March in a cost-cutting move.
Still, he wasn’t done. The Chicago Bears added him to their practice squad in November, and he worked his way onto the active roster, appearing in three regular-season games and suiting up for the playoffs. It was a short stint, but one that gave him a front-row seat to a new era in Chicago - led by a familiar face.
Ben Johnson, the Bears’ new head coach, isn’t just another branch from the Dan Campbell coaching tree. He’s his own guy, as Reeves-Maybin made clear.
Johnson and Reeves-Maybin go back to 2019, when Johnson joined the Lions’ staff. That connection helped the veteran linebacker appreciate what Johnson is building in Chicago.
“Obviously Dan is an incredible leader,” Reeves-Maybin said. “But Ben is his own person and he’s extremely smart.
He definitely has his own approach. I do not go into the meetings thinking, ‘Oh, this is just like Dan.’
That’s not what’s happening. It’s fun to see him create his own culture.”
In his first season as head coach, Johnson led the Bears to an NFC North title and a wild-card playoff win - a fast start that’s turned heads around the league. For Reeves-Maybin, it was rewarding to see someone he’s known for years step into a leadership role and make it his own.
“I was fortunate to grow a relationship with him even being on the other side of the ball,” he said. “So it’s been amazing to see him.”
While his future on the field remains uncertain, Reeves-Maybin’s role off the field has never been more prominent. Elected NFLPA president in 2024, he’s led the union through what he called “a pretty tumultuous time.”
That includes the re-signing of executive director Lloyd Howell last July amid a federal investigation into the union’s financial dealings, questions around expense reimbursements, and a confidentiality agreement between the NFL and NFLPA that kept details of a favorable arbitration ruling from players.
Reeves-Maybin is part of the group now leading the search for Howell’s full-time replacement. The process is ongoing, but the union has opted to keep the details under wraps for now.
Per union bylaws, the NFLPA president must be an active player - which puts a clock on Reeves-Maybin’s tenure. With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire in 2031, it’s unlikely he’ll be in the role long enough to lead negotiations for the next deal. Still, his time in union leadership has already shaped his vision for life after football.
“For me, people always talk about you want to work in something where it kind of doesn’t feel like work,” he said. “Running a search process, it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed.”
That’s a shift from where he used to see himself. For years, Reeves-Maybin thought his post-football path would be in scouting. And to be fair, the instincts are there - he can’t help but evaluate players, even when he’s supposed to be focusing on his own assignments.
“When I watch film, I’ll be forgetting that I’m supposed to be watching the schemes or trying to see how I want to play. I’ll get stuck on watching a player,” he said.
“I have a really natural inclination to evaluate people. I do it on the field and off the field.”
That eye for talent - and for leadership - might just be the next chapter for a player who’s always found ways to contribute, whether on special teams, in the locker room, or now, in the boardroom.
Whether he returns for a 10th season or not, Jalen Reeves-Maybin is already thinking bigger than football. And that’s exactly the kind of mindset that’s kept him relevant - and respected - for nearly a decade in the league.