Watching the Kansas City Chiefs front office continue to work magic to extend the team’s championship contention window is one of the most overlooked stories of the last decade. Yes, the power of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes goes a long way in carrying the team. However, the pieces are still needed to give the quarterback enough to work with to continue to push the team deep into the postseason. This all to set up the team’s difficult decision to let safety Justin Reid walk away.
Choosing to move on from an important piece of an incredible defense wasn’t easy. Still, it is the exact type of decision the Chiefs have needed to make to stay on top. It helps matters as well that Reid is going to get paid top dollar, but is doomed to fail in his new landing spot. There simply isn’t a path for the New Orleans Saints to contend with the current lack of talent.
The Chiefs Parted Ways with Justin Reid at the Perfect Time
The New Orleans Saints have been an obviously sinking ship for the last four seasons. Yet the team continues to borrow from the future and extend veteran pieces in hopes of keeping open a window of contention that has long since closed. Reid is a piece of this in the fact the safety is set up to fail before ever playing a snap.
Signing Reid was the team’s big move of the offseason giving the safety a deal upwards of $30 million in hopes of patching the defense. It isn’t going to end well with New Orleans fans ready to blame the new addition for the team’s lack of improvement. Reid is going to fail through no fault of his own, but simply due to not having winning pieces around him.
An aging defense and an awful quarterback situation are what Reid has traded the best team in the league for. While getting paid generational wealth is no small consolation prize it is a sacrifice in the fact the Saints aren’t going to get the best out of the former Kansas City star.
This deal locks in Reid for the next three seasons into a bad situation that is only going to end in frustration. It isn’t hard to predict this by looking simply at the talent in the NFC and understanding the Saints are on their way to competing for a top-five pick. Signing Reid isn’t going to age well for a team still refusing to see the obvious.