In three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Justin Reid won two straight Super Bowls. He made a third. The safety won so many games during those years that he became well-versed on the standard it takes to perform at such a high level week in and week out. In those three years, the Chiefs lost only 11 regular-season games.
Reid’s first season with the New Orleans Saints has been decidedly different.
“I’ve always been a guy who likes to dive in where I’m at,” Reid said.
That dive is why Reid hasn’t regretted signing with the Saints, months after he inked a three-year, $31.5 million deal to join his hometown team. Yes, the losses — already nine of them ahead of Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins — have frustrated the Prairieville native. And sure, the money probably helps. But in his eight years in the NFL, Reid has realized he finds enjoyment in the journey. His four seasons with the Houston Texans might have, in some ways, provided as many valuable lessons as his three with the Chiefs.
And he’s ready to share with whoever’s willing to listen.
“Justin is an incredible leader,” coach Kellen Moore said.
“He’s very vocal, very passionate,” rookie Jonas Sanker said.
During a season that has been as rough as many on the outside expected, Reid has emerged as an important voice in the team’s locker room. The 28-year-old captain has not let the whiplash of going from a dynasty to a rebuild affect how he approaches making an impact for his new teammates. Instead, Reid is focused on the moments that shape games.
Take last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. As fast as New Orleans’ defense started against its divisional rival, Reid said he could tell that the Saints were “flying around so quickly” that the Falcons would eventually try a screen pass to gash the unit. And so, Reid warned those around him — and sure enough, he was right. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson broke free on second-and-23 for a 32-yard gain that helped ensure the Falcons never lost the lead.
To Reid, the Robinson play wasn’t a reflection of the Saints failing to listen to him. It was more of an example of how the Saints can use the moment to grow.
“The NFL is the toughest sport in the world, man,” Reid said. “I think I bring some perspective, because I’ve lived almost every side of the coin. Having a really good team that didn’t make it through the playoffs my first two years, to a team that struggled in my third and fourth year, to a dynastic team those next three years, to the season we’re in right now.
“I felt that gives me a lot of perspective of where we’re at and what we need to work on and continue to build. I just try to share that with the guys.”
This is where Reid wanted to be. During free agency, he seriously considered offers from three teams: The Saints, the Tennessee Titans and the Eagles. Of those, the Eagles would have provided Reid an opportunity to contend for another championship. Philadelphia, after all, beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl and is looking to go back-to-back.
But the allure of the Saints was too much to pass up. It wasn’t just that the money was right, or that his family members texted him to come home. Rather, as Reid mulled the decision, he discussed his choice with his brother Eric — a former LSU star who went on to play for seven years in the NFL.
They loved the idea of “having the whole state on lock,” Justin said. There was a nostalgia playing for the black and gold, and Reid also loved the idea that his newborn daughter could grow up around her cousins and the rest of the family.
“It just made sense,” Reid said.
The sentimental value of the move hasn’t quieted Reid’s impact — especially on the field. As much as the safety has provided as a leader this season, Reid has reinforced those words with his play. He scored New Orleans’ lone touchdown against the Falcons on a pick six, displaying an impressive cutback after the interception to get into the end zone.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said Reid’s performance was the fourth straight game in which the safety has played at a “really high level.” That also provides an example for Sanker and the rest of the safeties on how to play, Staley said.
“He’s just one of these glue intangible guys that every defense would love to have,” the coordinator said.
Sanker agrees. By playing across from Reid, the rookie said he’s able to learn so much from watching how the veteran “doesn’t hesitate” on plays. He said he’s seen how Reid will recognize plays pre-snap and then try to limit those. Reid’s warning of Atlanta’s eventual screen was the kind of thing that happens every week with the safety, Sanker said.
Reid said players can’t be effective leaders without earning it with their play. But this, too, explains why his signing has been so crucial for the Saints this season.
Before the season, the Saints named eight captains. In the last two weeks, two — Brandin Cooks and Blake Grupe — have been released during unproductive campaigns. Another two, Alvin Kamara and Erik McCoy, are sidelined with injuries. That leaves Reid, a long snapper (Zach Wood) and two long-time staples (Cam Jordan, Demario Davis).
Jordan and Davis have also played well in 2025 but could be in their last year with the Saints. In his first year with the franchise, Reid has perhaps provided a glimpse of the next era.
And if, for whatever reason, Reid is somehow not on the roster by the time the Saints have turned things around, he’ll still have helped get them there.
“His focus, his details, the way he plays, the way he prepares — it’s really, really special,” Moore said. “He’s a guy that you just want to show a lot of young guys, just say, ‘Hey, watch this guy.’ … He is the perfect example of what means to be.”