The Kansas City Chiefs have lost a lot more than just Super Bowl 59 so far. They’ve also lost a significant percentage of their starters from the 2024 season. They’ve been hit hardest on the defensive side of the ball, losing five veteran contributors, with their most impactful departure being safety Justin Reid.
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The 28-year-old is heading into his eighth season in the NFL, and he hit free agency after spending three successful years with the Chiefs. His tenure in K.C. was defined by reliability, as he did not miss a game during his time there while picking up a pair of Super Bowl rings. However, he was robbed of the chance at a third Super Bowl title by the Philadelphia Eagles in February.
Evidently, Reid didn’t take the 40-22 butt-kicking he and his Chiefs teammates suffered at the hands of the Eagles too harshly. The star safety recently told Kay Adams on Up & Adams that he was close to pulling a Kevin Durant and joining the enemy. He ultimately signed with the New Orleans Saints, however. And according to Adams, he was also in talks with the Tennessee Titans.
“Pretty close, actually. Just because me and the defensive backs coach there [Possibly Christian Parker] have a really good relationship. The defensive system was the same defensive system that I ran at Stanford. That whole Vic Fangio system I know it pretty well,” an excited Justin Reid said.
“The conversations were pretty intense, the only drawback was they were so limited in cap space that we couldn’t make a deal that made sense. But the conversation was happening,” he continued.
Justin Reid was "pretty close" to signing with the Eagles in free agency after just facing them in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs. 😳@heykayadams | @JustinqReid | @Eagles pic.twitter.com/Wypj4Vs5SI
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 17, 2025
After Philadelphia traded starter C.J. Gardner-Johnson, it seemed Reid would almost certainly slot into the Eagles’ starting lineup alongside Reed Blankenship. As Adams noted, his prospective move to the Eagles was actually trending on X (formerly Twitter) for a little while.
However, Reid eventually signed with New Orleans on the first official day of the new league year on March 12. He inked a three-year, $31.5 million deal that includes $22.25 million in guarantees. The total value of the deal ranks 16th among safeties, his $10.5 million AAV ranks 17th, and his total practical guarantees rank 12th.
Reid joins a Saints team that just put up a 5-12 record, their worst showing since the pre-Sean Payton/Drew Brees era. The last time they were that bad was when they went 3-13 in 2005—though they could be excused on that one, as the Black and Gold were forced to play the entire campaign on the road after Hurricane Katrina hit home.
He joins a Saints defensive backfield that allowed the 27th-most passing yards but the 4th-fewest passing TDs in 2024. He will create an intriguing veteran safety partnership with Tyrann Mathieu. The pair will be flanked by young cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor.
The Saints have been in limbo ever since Drew Brees’ retirement, and that looks likely to continue in 2025. But if you ask Reid, the veteran believes they can reach the Big Game for some reason. Derek Carr or not, they could very well win the NFC South. Beyond that, however, their ceiling is decidedly lower than Justin Reid’s other near-free agency destination in the City of Brotherly Love.
Reid has to be punching air thinking about the opportunity that passed him by to remain on a perennial Super Bowl contender, as he had been for the last three years. $10.5 million a year is a pretty good consolation prize, though.
