It looks like it's time for Kansas City Chiefs fans to say goodbye to safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Kansas City agreed to sign safety Justin Reid to a three-year deal worth $31.5 million on Monday night.

The addition of Reid seemingly signals the end of the Mathieu era in KC.

With offensive lineman Orlando Brown and wide receiver Tyreek Hill expected to receive hefty extensions this offseason, it was unlikely that the Chiefs would be able to afford to bring Mathieu back in 2022. The Honey Badger will look to cash in elsewhere on possibly the last long-term contract of his career.

Reid, who spent the first four years of his career with the Houston Texans, is a player we mentioned last week as a possible free-agent replacement for Mathieu.

So how do Reid and Mathieu compare? What are the Chiefs getting?

There's no doubt that Mathieu was the better player last season. His Pro Football Focus grade was 67.3 last year while Reid's grade was 50.8.

Mathieu was specifically much better in coverage than Reid (Mathieu graded 76.4 in coverage compared to a 45.3 coverage grade for Reid).

Reid, however, was much better against the run than Mathieu in 2021 (Reid graded 65.1 in run defense while Mathieu graded 47.4).

The coverage grade for Reid is certainly concerning for Chiefs fans. Based on his grade in 2021, it sounds like Reid could be a liability in pass defense.

But there's some good news.

Reid, who is from Louisiana like Mathieu, is just two years removed from an overall 76.7 grade, including a 79.3 coverage grade.

(Let's not forget that Mathieu was significantly better in coverage in 2021 than he was in 2020 when he graded 60.4. Things can change dramatically from year to year.)

We can probably attribute part of Reid's poor coverage grade in 2021 to playing on a really bad Texans team last season. The upside is there for Reid, who is only 25, to be a solid player in Kansas City's defensive scheme. He may never match Mathieu's level of production, but he's a good replacement for the price.

Replacing Mathieu, of course, isn't just about the numbers. Mathieu was the heart and soul of Kansas City's defense. What he brought to the field in terms of passion, leadership, and intensity can't be measured by statistics.

How does Reid compare in that area?

I actually think Reid is quite similar to Mathieu.

The former Stanford standout embraced his leadership role with the Texans.

"It’s fun for me on the back end just because I like being the guy that gets guys off the line," said Reid before the 2021 season (via USA Today). "I feel like safety, middle linebacker too but safety you get to be a chief on the back end, see the whole picture, get to put guys in the right spot."

"If I’m playing my best ball and nobody else is, we’re not going to win that way. The only way to move forward is get everybody on the same page and [get] better, and I want to get everybody on the lineup into their best position as possible in order to make plays and that’s my job, as well."

Those comments from Reid sound a lot like Mathieu's comments from his introductory press conference with Kansas City in 2019.

You can watch Tyrann Mathieu’s Press Conference on @fox4kc FB site. Here’s part of what the new #Chiefs safety had to say. pic.twitter.com/KlEMcUvEnx

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) March 14, 2019

I know it's tough for Chiefs fans to see Mathieu (likely) leave. He's been a big part of Kansas City's success the last couple of years. But this is the business side of football.

General manager Brett Veach did a nice job of replacing one of the Chiefs' most important players.

Featured image via USA Today Sports