With nearly two dozen decisions to make in NFL free agency on returning players along, it's going to be tough for the Kansas City Chiefs to keep everyone around. That means making difficult calls on even popular and important players.
On Tuesday evening, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reported that the Chiefs were not expected to bring back veteran safety Justin Reid after three years spent with the team. That in itself was a bigger piece of the offseason puzzle for the Chiefs, but the news apparently took back Reid himself.
Taylor broke the news during an episode of KCSN podcast Only Weird Games, and Reid posted this in response to the post on social media.
Well that’s news…
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) March 5, 2025
"Well that's news..." posted Reid in response to the development that he would not likely be retained.
Someone is wrong here, but perhaps it's an indicator that some NFL players end up hearing the news from around the league just like the rest of us—via social media or television reports or radio broadcasts or push notifications on our phones.
It's possible Reid is posting in response to the news through the lens of hearing things for the first time himself. It's also possible he's pushing back in a sarcastic way because knows or believes something different.
That said, nothing here would be a surprise when it comes to Reid's future. The Chiefs haven't been afraid of going cheaper in the secondary over the years, and they let Tyrann Mathieu walk after his initial three-year deal was up as well—the player Reid ended up replacing. However, Reid is still very young and is a leader on the back end of a young defense that could also lose Nick Bolton.
Reid is still a very productive player in the league even heading into his third contract. Only 28 years old for the 2025 season, Reid had 87 total tackles, 2 interceptions, and 9 passes deflected last season for the Chiefs and he's never missed a game since signing in K.C.
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