Justin Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs plays an NFL preseason football game against the New Orleans … [+] Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Aug. 13, 2023. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
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After signing a three-year, $31.5 million contract — including $22.25 million guaranteed —with the New Orleans Saints, safety Justin Reid returns to the state in which he grew up.
But the setting should provide a reunion for the Baton Rouge, La. native for another reason — multiple former Kansas City Chiefs dot the Saints roster.
That includes the safety, Tyrann Mathieu, who Reid replaced on the Chiefs roster in 2022.
“The question I got when I first signed with Kansas City was how am I going to be the next Tyrann Mathieu,” Reid said. “I was like, ‘There’s no chance. I have no shot at being the next Tyrann Mathieu. There’s no way I can do what he’s done.’”
Reid not only played with Mathieu on the Houston Texans, but also Eric Reid, Justin’s older brother, was Mathieu’s teammate at LSU, and the families remain close.
“I remember Justin since he was a young’un (sic),” Mathieu exclusively shared while serving as a special guest of Toyota at the “Glow Up Classic” benefiting New Orleans’ 18th Ward during the week of Super Bowl LIX.
Super Bowl LIX represented Reid’s final game with the Chiefs, but he’ll be reunited with several former Kansas City teammates, including defensive lineman Khalen Saunders, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (though the latter three players are unrestricted free agents who could sign elsewhere).
Another former Chiefs player, defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon, is also a free agent.
But Mathieu is the most noteworthy connection to Reid.
The Chiefs handpicked the younger Reid, signing him — weirdly to the exact same dollar amount as his current Saints contract — as a replacement for Mathieu.
It was a great acquisition.
Since Reid joined the Chiefs, all he’s known is Super Bowls, playing in three straight — and winning two — while starting 49 regular-season games.
So why did the Chiefs not re-sign their hard-hitting, 28-year-old safety?
When Kansas City already is paying tight end Travis Kelce ($19.8 million cap hit in 2025), defensive lineman Chris Jones ($34.8 million cap hit in 2025) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes ($66.3 million cap hit in 2025) to deals, which rank near the highest of their respective positions, there’s only so much it can spend and remain in compliance with the salary cap.
And the Chiefs have good, young depth at the safety position, including 25-year-old Bryan Cook, who had an interception in Super Bowl LIX; 22-year-old rookie Jaden Hicks, who led the team with three interceptions in 2024, and 24-year-old Chamarri Conner, who capably filled both the nickel cornerback and safety spots — much like Mathieu used to — in his second year.
As he met with the media, following the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX, Reid seemed resigned to his fate.
“(I) really hope that this isn’t the last time putting on a Chiefs jersey and that I can come back with the team next year and avenge this. I want to keep on the legacy,” he said. “But if it is the end, I’m still really proud of what we’ve done the last three years here.”
