Safety Justin Reid answers questions from press after signing with the New Orleans Saints at the Saints Practice Facility in Metairie, Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
According to Justin Reid, about a quarter of the NFL’s 32 teams checked in on him when he became a free agent, a list he soon whittled down to three.
And when he told his family members one of those teams, they made their preference as clear as a cloudless sky.
“I was letting them know, ‘Hey, there’s a possibility I end up signing with the (New Orleans) Saints,’ ” Reid recounted. “And my text message thread with the family started blowing up, ‘Sign with the Saints! Sign with the Saints!’ ”
Reid, the 28-year-old Prairieville native, granted his family’s wish. Shortly after free agency opened, he agreed to a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the team he grew up watching. When he was introduced at the Saints’ Airline Drive facility Friday morning, he did so with most of his family sitting in the audience.
“Being right here in this moment, just walking around the building, as everything is starting to settle in, it’s just one of the best feelings ever,” Reid said. “I’ve got my whole family here in the building right now supporting me. I feel like the city is wrapping their arms around me.”
This is more than just a homecoming story, of course.
New Orleans plugged a hole on its defense by signing a safety who is coming off arguably his best professional season. He is a versatile defensive piece whom new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley can and likely will move about his chessboard. In Reid, the Saints are also getting a player who has played in the last three Super Bowls, winning two of them, with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reid understands his recent history may be important when it comes to playing a part in reversing the downward trajectory of the organization because he understands what it takes to win in the NFL.
There are standards that must be met, Reid said. Accountability, work ethic, attitude and fundamentals. And to meet those standards, there has to be organizational buy in.
“If you have everybody playing as a team and not as a group of individuals, then that’s where you’re going to bring your best football out and you’re going to have some success,” Reid said. “I want to bring that attitude. I want to bring a sense of calmness to everyone on the defense, so when I’m out on the field, guys can have trust that I’ll be in position to make plays, and I will help put them in position to make plays.”
Reid has some familiarity with some of the roster already. He was Chiefs teammates with Khalen Saunders and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and he spent one season starting alongside Tyrann Mathieu when both were playing for the Houston Texans.
Because of their prior experience together, he is confident he will fit nicely next to Mathieu. Reid thinks of himself and Mathieu as cerebral players who are excellent communicators. And, stylistically, they pair well.
“Tyrann is a savvy vet. Every offense needs to know where he’s at because he will show up and steal the ball away some type of way,” Reid said. “I see myself as a physical tone-setter — if you want to come down the hall with me, you’re going to have to pay a toll for it.”
Reid is eager to get to work in Staley’s scheme. Entering his eighth NFL season, Reid said the scheme he’d be playing in was an important part of his decision. He saw Staley’s defense as one that fit “like a glove.”
"He mixes things up. I love that,” Reid said of Staley. “Not everything is always the same thing over and over. He allows guys to be versatile, and I see myself as a versatile player who can play a lot of different positions and cause some problems for the offense. I'm excited to be a weapon for him."
Reid said he also considered offers from the Titans and Eagles, but he decided upon a return home. It wasn’t just because of the urging from his family. There was a big part of him that wanted this, too.
“Every kid in Louisiana dreams about playing for the Saints,” he said.
He knows what it means throughout the state when the Saints are successful. He said he was getting chills thinking about leading the Who Dat chant, what he considers to be one of the best traditions in sports.
When he looks at the Saints, on the heels of their fourth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, he sees possibility — a roster that he believes is talented, and a new head coach in Kellen Moore that he believes in.
He hopes he can restore what he knew as a proud and successful franchise.
"I think that we have something where there’s a lot of momentum going and we can build something special," Reid said. "I see nothing but opportunity and blue skies for us."