The Philadelphia Eagles nearly found their new starting safety after the surprising trade that sent C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Kenyon Green.
Gardner-Johnson, whom the Eagles brought back after allowing him to walk following the 2022 season, was essentially a cap casualty as the Birds look toward the future and extensions with Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens, All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and former first-round pick Nolan Smith.
Gardner-Johnson brought back intensity to a defense that desperately needed it after their 2023 collapse. He was a ball hawk, recording six interceptions and 12 pass breakups in his return to Philadelphia.
CJGJ wasn’t the only significant piece of a top-ranked defense that will be elsewhere in 2025. The Eagles also said goodbye to Josh Sweat (signed with Arizona Cardinals), Milton Williams (signed with New England Patriots), Darius Slay (released and signed with Pittsburgh Steelers), and Oren Burks (signed with Cincinnati Bengals).
Now, a two-time Super Bowl champion safety with the Kansas City Chiefs has revealed how close he came to landing with the Eagles.
Former Kansas City Chiefs safety spurned Philadelphia Eagles for New Orleans Saints
Justin Reid, Philadelphia Eagles
Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Justin Reid revealed to Kay Adams of “Up & Adams” that he had “intense” conversations with the Eagles and they were “pretty close” to a deal, but they couldn’t make the money work.
“Just because me and the defensive backs coach there (Roy Anderson) have a really good relationship. The defensive system was the same defensive system that I ran at Stanford. That whole Vic Fangio system, I know it pretty well,” Reid said. “The conversations were pretty intense. The only drawback was they were just so limited in cap space that we couldn’t make a deal that made sense. But the conversation was happening.”
Sounds like Justin Reid was very close to signing with the Eagles. 👀 @UpAndAdamsShow @JustinqReid pic.twitter.com/UhwoILgwlk
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) March 17, 2025
Heading into free agency, the Eagles had around $22 million in cap space, evidently not enough to land the veteran safety.
Instead of signing with the Eagles, Reid signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the New Orleans Saints — who finished last in the NFC South with a 5-12 record.
Despite the Saints not making the playoffs since 2020, Reid believes in New Orleans with the “All-Star team” they’re building.
“We’re just picking Louisiana’s best and bringing them all home,” Reid said, referring to himself and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.
Last year with the Chiefs, Reid recorded two interceptions and nine pass breakups.
It will be tough sledding for the Saints to get back to the playoffs in 2025 as they have many roster holes they need to fill. They own the ninth overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, while the Eagles continue their search for safety help after missing out on Reid.