The first week of free agency was an eventful one for the Kansas City Chiefs, significant not only for the players they added like cornerback Kristian Fulton, but also for the impactful veterans they lost.
Joe Thuney and Justin Reid, two of the organization's most valuable leaders during this dynastic run, are with new organizations now in the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints respectively. Reid, in particular, represents a major loss for the defense, as the Chiefs will now rely on young safeties Bryan Cook and Jaden Hicks to carry the torch barring any additions.
As it turns out, Reid revealed that he nearly backstabbed Kansas City by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles after the Super Bowl loss. Considering how beloved Reid is within the local community, that would've stung.
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
Former Chiefs S Justin Reid Reveals He Nearly Signed With Eagles in Free Agency
Appearing on the "Up & Adams Show" with Kay Adams, Reid was asked about the possibility of signing with Philadelphia and just how close he was to doing so.
"Pretty close, actually," Reid replied. "Me and the defensive back coach there have a really good relationship. The defensive system was the same defensive system that I ran at Stanford...I know it pretty well. The conversations were pretty intense, the only draw back was they were so limited in cap space that we couldn't make a deal that made sense but the situation, the conversation was happening."
Thank goodness the Eagles couldn't offer him what the Saints could. We've seen Chiefs defensive backs go to rivals before, like when Charvarius Ward signed with the San Francisco 49ers, but losing Reid to Philadelphia would've represented something new entirely.
He went on to praise his new situation, noting that the Saints have focused on bringing players from Louisiana like himself to the team. It's an exciting opportunity for Reid, yet Chiefs fans should be grateful that New Orleans isn't exactly ready to compete for a championship.
Thankfully, this can all be chalked up as a relieving "what-if" scenario instead of a harsh reality.