Eagles Today

Justin Reid Confirms Eagles' Interest In Free Agency

New safety Justin Reid believed he was close to signing a deal in Philadelphia before signing with Philadelphia.
John McMullen|
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) during the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) during the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Eagles

Justin Reid confirmed that the Eagles were interested in him during free agency before the veteran safety signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal to leave Kansas City for the New Orleans Saints earlier this month

Appearing on FanDuel TV's “Up and Adams Show” with Kay Adams, Reid, 28, claimed that he and the Eagles were “pretty close actually.”

“It was just because me and the defensive backs coach [Christian Parker] there have a really good relationship,” Reid said. “The defensive system was the same defensive system I ran at Stanford – that whole Vic Fangio system – I know it pretty well. 

“The conversations were pretty intense. The only drawback was they were just so limited in cap space that we couldn’t make a deal that made sense. But the situation, the conversation was happening.”

The Eagles have long liked Reid’s game so it’s no surprise there was some interest from Philadelphia.

However, all eight free agents Philadelphia has signed to date have signed one-year deals, and getting involved with multiple years at a $10 million average annual value would have affected the team’s compensatory pick haul that is currency projected at the maximum four.

The best bet here is that the coaching staff wanted Reid and the business side was likely monitoring the market and had interest dropped, the Eagles would have gotten more serious. 

The safety position is in flux for Philadelphia after the Eagles traded the playmaking C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for a reclamation project on the offensive line, 2022 first-round pick Kenyon Green, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

The idea for that move was to generate cash on hand after multiple years of extensive spending because top-of-the-market extensions are looming in with Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens and second-team All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter after the 2025 season.

In-house the Eagles want to give 2023 third-round pick Sydney Brown an opportunity to compete for the job opposite Reed Blankenship. Backups include Tristin McCollum, Lewis Cine and Andre Sam’ so a veteran insurance policy could still be an option in free agency. However, that would likely be more of a short-term signing.

MORE NFL: Exploding CB Market Helps Explain Eagles' Offseason

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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