As Justin Reid stood for his formal introduction as a member of the New Orleans Saints, the veteran safety had more than 1,500 texts on his phone he still needed to go through.
That's just the deal when you come back home, something Reid was eager to do -- almost as eager as his family was for him to do it.
"I was talking to them and I was letting them know that, hey, there’s a possibility I end up signing with the Saints and then my text message thread with the family chat just starts blowing up," Reid said, "like, 'sign with the Saints, sign with the Saints, Saints, Saints.' "
Reid is a native of Prairieville and starred at Geismar High School. His older brother, Eric, was a star at LSU and a former first round draft pick. Eric -- who was on hand for Justin's introduction along with several other family members -- was a teammate of current Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu at LSU. Justin was a teammate of the Honey Badger's during his rookie season with the Texans.
Reid has been a member of the Chiefs the past three seasons, a familiar pre-Saints stop, and played his last game in the Caesars Superdome against the Eagles -- an offense led by his new head coach in Kellen Moore.
To call it a full circle experience would be an understatement.
“The NFL script been scripting," Reid joked. "I don’t know what those beatwriters are doing but they do a damn good job.”
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HEAR WWL'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN REID during SportsTalk on March 17. Tune in at WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app, and find the replay wherever you get your podcasts.
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But more importantly for the Saints, Reid fills a clear position of need alongside Mathieu in a defense that is undergoing a significant scheme change. The Saints have erred toward the veteran safety market for the past several years, and Reid fits that bill. His 3 year, $30 million contract is roughly the same as what the Saints signed Mathieu to ahead of the 2022 season. The tandem offers a pair of versatile safeties who can roam the field and keep offenses guessing, an essential element of Brandon Staley's new defensive scheme.
Reid would also describe himself as a leader who values "brotherhood" and proving things by doing them himself, all elements that Mathieu would also say he values.
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“Tyrann is a savvy vet. ... I see myself as a physical tone-setter. You know, guys want to come down the hallway with me, you’re gonna have to pay the toll for it and we just complement each other really well," Reid said. We have a strong line of communication, both cerebral players, can organize the defense and yea, it’s gonna be fun.”
The Saints weren't the only team in the mix, with the Titans and Eagles the finalists. Reid pointed to the Chiefs as a strong contender as well, and there was interest on both sides but no deal to be made.
The signing was the only true free agency splash for the Saints to this point, with the rest of the signings of the lower-level variety, but with familiar names. The Saints are bringing back Isaac Yiadom on a 3-year, $9 million deal and they've signed each of TE Juwan Johnson and DE Chase Young to 3-year extensions. The team also swung a trade to bring another Louisiana native back home in former Patriots DT Davon Godchaux.
“It’s a family reunion, baby," Reid said. "Having Louisiana’s best play for Louisiana. I love it.”