Free agency is about having choices, and safety Justin Reid had his share.
He was one of the top-rated players around the league to enter the market this NFL offseason, so it was only fair that Reid entertained them all during the two-day open negotiation period.
But the Chiefs left the best impression, leading him to agree to terms on a three-year contract worth $31.5 million.
"When you take all that away and start to look at the fit and the culture, the opportunity that's put in front of you, I wanted to play for a championship-caliber team," Reid said Thursday during his introductory news conference in Kansas City. "I wanted to play in a system that I thought would fit me, would be able to highlight my strengths.
"And when you look at the defense that Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) runs, you look at the Chiefs being in the AFC Championship (Game) three years in a row — going to make that four — it really felt right. I slept on it one day, came back to it, and in the back of my mind and bottom of my heart, I was like, 'You know what? Kansas City is really the best situation and fit for me, so we're going to pull the trigger on that one.'"
Reid's decision is the Chiefs' gain.
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Reid entered the league in 2018 as a third-round pick with the Houston Texans, where he became a rising star. Over the past four seasons, he appeared in 57 games with 53 starts, totaling 315 tackles, seven interceptions, 23 passes defensed, two sacks and six quarterback hits.
"We're very excited to add an impact player like Justin to our roster," Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement. "He's young and has proven himself with consistent play-making ability over the last four years. On top of that, he's incredibly smart and physical. He'll be a strong addition to Coach Spagnuolo's defense."
Reid is versatile and showed an ability to play both safety positions as well as in the slot — attributes that will suit Spagnuolo's scheme well alongside free safety Juan Thornhill. He also showed in Houston that he can act as an emergency kicker for kickoffs, if needed.
More important because of the position he plays, Reid has an enforcer mentality and won't shy away from contact.
Well, depending on the size of the opponent, anyway.
"If there's a guy in the wrong-colored jersey in my area — and he's not an offensive lineman, someone the same size as me — I'm going to make him pay for coming in my space," Reid said.
The Chiefs will expect Reid to take on Tyrann Mathieu's leadership role on the back end of their defensive-secondary coverage, ensuring defensive backs are where they need to be.
Reid had the opportunity to learn under Mathieu in 2018 when they were teammates in Houston. Reid credits Mathieu for emphasizing how to approach the game at the professional level to become a team leader.
"Tyrann, I'll never forget," Reid said. "His thing was the mentality, the attitude, the work ethic and playing with just a savvyness. He called it championship swagger, fall forward.
"His pre-game speeches were second to none. He was a big leader in the room, somebody everybody gravitated to. So when he did leave Houston, I kind of took up a little bit of that role by the precedent he set."
There will be comparisons to Mathieu because of the position they play, and the fact that Chiefs elected to sign Reid and let Mathieu enter the free-agent market. And Reid understands that he has some rather large shoes to fill. Mathieu's a three-time All-Pro selection, including twice in a Chiefs uniform.
But the Chiefs' newest safety knows he can't outright replace Mathieu. Instead, Reid will give his all in his own way, with his own strengths.
"I have always said this, that a copy is never worth as much as the original," Reid said. "There will never, ever, ever be another Tyrann Mathieu to come through Kansas City. There just won't.
"But I can bring the best Justin Reid possible to Kansas City, so that's my mentality. I'm going to play to my strengths, I'm going to play to who I am."
And that straight-forward approach should work out just fine for the Chiefs.
"I'm excited for this and I can't wait to get to work," Reid said.
