Commanders' Jeremy Reaves Feels 'Like Home' Re-Signing With Team

Washington Commanders All-Pro Jeremy Reaves shared his experiences as a free agent and what it feels like to return to the only NFL home he's ever known.

Ask Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves what it's like to re-sign with the team this offseason and he'll tell you, "Like home. When you just got home after you've been gone for a minute? It feels like that."

There was never any doubt that fans and even the media watching the Commanders unveil their new plan for the team wanted Reaves back. 

His energy, leadership, and play on the field make him a magnet to football lovers everywhere, and Washington has had a front-row seat to all of it during Reaves' six-year NFL career.

Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves (39) reacts after a play in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at FedExField / Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-USA TODAY Sports

The environment he's grown in, he says, is one of the reasons he knew he wanted to be back, even as other franchises tried to lure the All-Pro away from the Commanders. 

"I didn't really know what the interest level was going to be here in Washington considering it was a new staff. I didn't know what it was on the market, so I was kind of just in the even keel phase of we'll just see what happens," Reaves said about his approach to free agency. "But obviously it's harder to uproot and leave somewhere that you've just invested so much time and effort in. And so that played a huge role in me being here. And just like I said, the things that I've built here and what I've put into the years here where it wasn't great and when I've had good years. This is home man. This has been my home and I'm just excited that it still is."

Part of making Washington feel at home has been the love Reaves has gotten from outside of the organization and his inner circle, especially from the fan base.

Something that isn't lost on him.

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"Man, I just want to them know. Just thank you, man," Reaves says to Commanders fans who have supported him during his career, through injury, and celebrated his return this week. "I feel like you guys watched me grow up here and just everything that I've had to experience here and life and how it's knocked me down and how I've had to get back up and how you guys have helped me get back up even when sometimes I didn't want to. I will say with this ACL that I had this past year, it was a lot easier knowing that I had a whole village behind me. And it wasn't just my family, my girlfriend, it was everybody, fans included."

Reaves isn't a new face, but he's a welcome one coming back to help usher in a new era of Washington football.