Safety Justin Reid is making himself comfortable after signing a lucrative three-year deal worth up to $31.5 million ($22.25 million fully guaranteed) with the New Orleans Saints, as he returns to his home state of Louisiana after seven years in the NFL and three at Stanford.
However, that doesn’t mean the former Kansas City Chiefs star has completely forgotten his old team’s embarrassing Super Bowl 59 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In a new interview, the defensive back divulged his thoughts on the lopsided championship game.
Justin Reid Says Eagles Made It ‘Hard To Turn Momentum’ In Super Bowl 59
Appearing on ESPN’s “Up & Adams” hosted by Kay Adams, Reid spoke about his desire to return home with the Saints and his favorite memories from his time in Kansas City.
However, when Adams finally asked Reid what he thought was most attributable to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss, the safety didn’t mince words in his response.
“I think that [starting fast] would’ve made a tremendous impact. They jumped on us; they jumped out so quickly,” Reid reflected.
“Once the bleeding started, it was hard to stop it, to turn momentum. We wanted to come out and have an explosive play in the second half. Credit to them. They played one hell of a football game. They were, frankly, dominant in the game from for the first three quarters. So, yeah, it stung, but in some ways, but you respect an opponent that comes out and plays that hard.”
"Once the bleeding started, it was hard to stop it."
Justin Reid recalls what went wrong for the Chiefs against the Eagles in the Super Bowl.@heykayadams | @JustinqReid pic.twitter.com/xcpiK9CxEA
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 17, 2025
Though he won’t get a chance to seek revenge with the Chiefs next season, Reid found himself a comfortable job in free agency.
With Tyrann Mathieu sticking around in 2025 on a reworked contract, New Orleans now has a pair of high-quality safeties to build their defensive scheme around. With former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley running the defensive unit next year, it makes sense that he’d want elite players at that position after coaching Derwin James.
Reid ranked 14th on PFSN’s Top 100 NFL Free Agent Rankings, which was first among all safeties and third among defensive backs (behind D.J. Reed and Byron Murphy Jr.).
Reid has been a starter for all seven seasons since entering the NFL in 2018 but is still just 28 years old. Reid played at least 90% of the snaps in all three of his seasons with the Chiefs, and he’s never played fewer than 13 games in a season.
The two-time Super Bowl champion had nine passes defended, his most since his rookie season, and multiple interceptions for the first time since 2021. Reid was versatile enough to line up in the box, the deep half, or as the single-high safety in Steve Spagnuolo’s system, and figures to maintain that flexibility with Staley and the Saints.
The Saints likely won’t be able to give Reid a chance to seek that coveted third ring as they rebuild under new head coach Kellen Moore, but the safety can bring plenty of championship experience and wisdom to a team that sorely needs it.