The future of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is quickly becoming a major offseason story as several trade suitors have reportedly emerged for one of the league’s best defensive players.
The defending champions gave Sneed the franchise tag and he is now under contract through the 2024 season with a cap figure of $19.8 million.
But while he has a chance to reach a long-term extension with the Chiefs, Sneed can also provide cap relief and some younger talent if he is traded before next month’s NFL Draft.
And how USA Today reportsno fewer than seven teams have expressed interest in Sneed: the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions.
Finalizing a trade would require approval from Sneed, who has the opportunity to negotiate a long-term extension with suitors before any deal can be finalized.
Future of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is a big offseason story
The Chiefs entered the offseason with Sneed and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones preparing to hit free agency, and general manager Brett Veach made it clear he hoped to retain both of them.
But the $19.8 million figure for Sneed is much more palatable than the roughly $32 million that would be owed to Jones, making the choice between players an easy one.
The deadline to use the franchise tag is Tuesday.
Sneed, 27, is considered one of the best cornerbacks available.
Now comes the hard part: Can the Chiefs reach a long-term deal with Jones after failing to do so in the previous two offseasons, and can they also sign Sneed to an extended deal that reduces his salary cap hit?
The most likely scenario is that the Chiefs, who used the non-exclusive tag that allows Sneed to talk to other teams, would try to trade him for draft capital.
That would give the Chiefs financial flexibility to keep Jones on the team while they address several of their most pressing concerns, including vacancies at left tackle and wide receiver.
“We’re always looking to get better, whether it’s receiver, offensive lineman or defensive backs,” Veach said last week at the NFL combine. ‘Any opportunity we have to improve our team, we will do it. “We place a high priority on the depth of our squad, so we will attack the same way we do in all positions and try to get the best players we can.”
The Chiefs have used the franchise tag six times over the last decade, and in three of those cases, they reached a long-term agreement. Only once did they trade a player, and that was pass rusher Dee Ford, whom Kansas City sent to the 49ers for a second-round pick, and at the same time they got Frank Clark, whom the Seahawks had tagged and traded.
Sneed, 27, is widely considered one of the best cornerbacks potentially available.
The 2020 fourth-round pick was regularly tasked with covering the opponent’s best wide receiver, regardless of where he lined up on the field. The only player to catch more than two passes in a game was the Raiders’ Davante Adams, and Sneed did not allow a touchdown catch as the closest defender until a divisional round win over the Bills in the playoffs.
The Chiefs entered the offseason with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones hitting free agency
Sneed has 10 interceptions in 57 regular-season games and another in 13 playoff games, earning him two Super Bowl rings.
The Chiefs began what could be a busy offseason last week when they released wide receiver Márquez Valdés-Scantling and saved about $12 million in cap space. They can use some of those savings, along with a higher-than-expected salary cap hit, to reach a deal with Jones, who played last season on a one-year, incentive-laden contract.
Jones had skipped the entire offseason after failing to secure a long-term contract, and held out until Week 1 before signing the contract. He ended up tying the team lead with 10 1/2 sacks, earned his third Super Bowl ring when the Chiefs beat the 49ers in Las Vegas, and then turned heads when he talked about helping them win a third straight title next season. .
“I love Chris,” Veach said. ‘We try very hard to achieve something. We did not. But we met right after the Detroit game, we had a great talk, both sides want to be here. We’ll get to work. “He certainly he’s a guy we want to get back and we want and we want him to finish his career in Kansas City.”