The New Orleans Saints are loading up on the back end of their secondary and establishing a bit of a unique NFL pipeline along the way.
Former Chiefs standout safety Justin Reid is expected to sign a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Saints, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday. Reid's agreement includes $22.5 million in money that is fully guaranteed at signing, per Rapoport.
Reid's move to New Orleans follows the same path charted by another current Saints safety, Tyrann Mathieu, who went from Houston to Kansas City and then New Orleans. Mathieu agreed to a reworked contract to remain in New Orleans on Tuesday, and just a few hours later, news of Reid's impending arrival followed.
Reid entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Texans from Stanford and joined the Chiefs in 2022 on a deal that was identical to the one he's expected to sign with the Saints, providing Kansas City with a playmaking safety who won two Super Bowls in three seasons with the team. He started all 59 games for the Chiefs (including playoffs) and logged the most defensive snaps (3,575) played among all safeties since joining the Chiefs in 2022.
Reid is coming off his best season as a Chief, posting a 77.7 defensive grade in 2204, per Pro Football Focus, and recording the most passes defensed (nine) since his rookie season of 2017.
He slots into a Saints defensive backfield that includes Mathieu, Alontae Taylor, nickelback Ugo Amadi and 2024 second-rounder Kool-Aid McKinstry. New Orleans moved on from stalwart cornerback Marshon Lattimore when they traded him to Washington at the deadline in 2024 and also said goodbye to cornerback Paulson Adebo (who left for the Giants) but will welcome a new face to the deepest level of their defense.
With Kansas City retooling after their blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Reid has found a new home by following in the footsteps of his new teammate. The Louisiana native will hope for nothing but the best from his homecoming.
