Former San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid remains unsigned three days into free agency despite a fairly solid track record as a five-year starter in San Francisco and his relatively young age of 26.

Reid believes the reason he hasn't yet been signed, and he's being viewed more as a cheap option for teams in the second or third wave of free agency, is because of his role in the anthem protests that started in 2016.

"The notion that I can be a great signing for your team for cheap, not because of my skill set but because I've protested systemic oppression, is ludicrous. If you think (it) is, then your mindset is part of the problem too," Reid tweeted.

While Colin Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality, and has become the face of the anthem protests, Reid was the first person to kneel alongside Kaepernick when they were teammates in San Francisco. Reid kneeled beside Kaepernick for the entire 2016 season.

Kaepernick spent last year out of football after no team offered him a contract and while it's still believed Reid will find a job at some point this off-season, he believes the owners are holding up his eventual signing, not the general managers.

Reid played in 13 games with 12 starts for the 49ers last season, finishing with 52 tackles, two interceptions, and four pass defences. The 2013 first round pick has started 69 games over his five-year career with the 49ers, accumulating 264 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 36 pass defences.