Kansas City Chiefs Sign Justin Reid, A Younger, Cheaper Replacement For Tyrann Mathieu

One of the major looming offseason questions for the Kansas City Chiefs was whether they would re-sign safety Tyrann Mathieu, the team’s defensive leader.

After signing safety Justin Reid to a three-year, $31.5 million deal that includes $20 million guaranteed, we now know that the Chiefs will let Mathieu walk.

On the surface, not re-signing the reigning winner of the Derrick Thomas MVP Award, who goes to the person the Chiefs players and coaches deem as the most valuable, seems like a questionable move.

But with salaries rising, Mathieu likely will cost more than the three-year, $42 million deal he signed in March of 2019. (If a deal was for only $15 million a year, that would only rank as the fourth most lucrative among NFL safeties currently.)

And Reid’s current deal is about $4 million a year cheaper than Mathieu’s initial one in Kansas City.

So the salary cap-strapped Chiefs not only get a cheaper alternative, but also a younger one. Reid turned 25 last month, and Mathieu will be 30 in May.

While Mathieu has been incredibly durable for the Chiefs, starting every regular-season game his first two years except when the team rested its stars in the final game of 2020 with its playoff seed locked up, he has had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees.

A ballhawk, Mathieu has been extremely productive since joining the Chiefs, recording 213 tackles, 13 interceptions, four fumble recoveries, three sacks and two touchdowns.

With three interceptions and three fumble recoveries, last year’s numbers were in line, but during Kansas City’s early-season slide when it fell to 3-4, it seemed like he was making fewer plays.

Mathieu did bounce back to make the Pro Bowl, but perhaps Chiefs officials thought his play was slipping just a tad.

To replace their defensive leader, the Chiefs plied a player off the Houston Texans, the team for whom Mathieu starred before signing in Kansas City.

In fact, Reid and Mathieu and played together in the Texans’ defensive backfield in 2018. Mathieu started mostly at strong safety while Reid played free safety.

That was Reid’s rookie year. He started 12 games that season and has gone on to start 41 games since.

In his 57 total games with the Texans, he has been productive, making 315 tackles, seven interceptions, three fumble recoveries and forcing two fumbles.

Though Mathieu was a more impactful player, Reid has had a good beginning to his career.

Justin Reid is also the younger brother of Eric Reid, who kneeled with San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem.

Reid and Kaepernick filed collusion grievances against the NFL, alleging that owners collaborated to keep them out of the league, and reached lucrative settlements in February 2019.

Justin Reid was, of course, not the only defensive back to find financial windfall during the early days of free agency.

Former Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward is slated to sign a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with the 49ers. That contract is similar in value to the one Mathieu initially signed with Kansas City.

Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes remains unsigned as does much-maligned safety Daniel Sorensen. The two combined for 12 starts last year.

So the Chiefs secondary could look very different in 2022.