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L’Jarius Sneed

AFC South Notes: WRs, Anderson, Sneed

May 25th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Three receivers in the AFC South are facing big seasons for different reasons in 2025, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks and Texans wideout John Metchie all are looking to have impactful 2025 campaigns in order to improve their prospects for the future.

Ridley returns to Tennessee as the team’s leading receiver from 2024, but he’ll be in a much-improved receiving corps this season. He’s been joined by veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson and rookies Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo as targets for No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Volin argues that, with Ridley being 30 years old, the Titans may feel comfortable moving on from Ridley in favor of their several other options in the future. Even with a post-June 1 designation, cutting Ridley would not save them any cap space this year, but if Ridley can’t prove to be a worthy asset in 2025, his contract provides a potential out that could limit his dead money to $8.02MM and increase the team’s cap savings to $18.73 for 2026, should they cut him.

After Tennessee made the decision to decline Burks’ fifth-year option, it’s certain that the 25-year-old will be headed into the final year of his rookie contract. Through three seasons, Burks has struggled mightily with injuries, missing 24 of a possible 51 games. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that he may not make it through the offseason. With the lack of production, the influx of new talent, and only $1.91MM of dead money facing the team should they cut him, Burks faces long odds of making the roster in 2025.

Metchie, unfortunately, faces similar challenges. Metchie’s health issues stem, initially, from a surprising diagnosis of leukemia that halted his rookie season before it even began. In two years since returning to the team, though, Metchie has failed to make much of an impact, despite injuries to his teammates providing plenty of opportunities for him to do so. Like Burks, Metchie is now heading into the final year of his rookie contract and dealing with an influx of new talent like veteran Christian Kirk and Day 2 rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Metchie, a Day 2 pick himself, will need to tap into the potential that got him drafted that high in order to ensure his roster status for the 2025 NFL season.

Here are a couple other rumors from around the AFC South:

  • Former No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. is not yet eligible for an extension, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about it. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year told reporters recently that he “most definitely” wants to remain in Houston for the rest of his career. With 18.0 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, and 41 quarterback hits through two seasons, one would imagine that the feeling is mutual. The Texans will have to wait until he completes his third season of NFL play, though, until they can extend their young pass rusher with the contract that he desires.
  • Two days ago, we reported that Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was progressing well in his rehabilitation but noted that there wasn’t yet a timeline for his return. There doesn’t appear to have been any new information, but Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt told fans in a mailbag yesterday that “the plan is to have him ready to go for the fall.” So, it seems Sneed will continue his recovery work for the remainder of the summer with plans to be back, hopefully, in time for training camp.

Titans Rumors: Sneed, Latham, Restrepo

May 23rd, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans’ investment in former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed really failed to deliver dividends in 2024. After sending a third-round pick to Kansas City for the 28-year-old defender, Tennessee only saw five games out of Sneed before a quad injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. What’s worse is that Sneed played poorly in those five contests, grading out as the team’s worst defender, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If he had played enough games, his defensive grade would’ve been the worst for any cornerback in the league, per PFF.

What’s even worse, Sneed was involved this offseason in a civil trial stemming from an incident that led to an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. Sneed was accused of being involved with shots being fired at the plaintiff which struck his vehicle. An unnamed associate was also included in the allegation.

The civil case was ordered to mediation today, according to Paul Kuharsky, as Sneed’s attorney argued that “the alleged acts, if any, were performed by John Doe without any assistance, encouragement, or direction by L’Jarius Sneed.” Sneed will still see a grand jury date at some point in the future for the criminal side of the case.

In the meantime, head coach Brian Callahan spoke on Sneed’s recovery to reporters, per Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt. Callahan claimed that Sneed is progressing as expected and is in a good spot. That being said, the team is still having to work to manage his workload through practices, and there doesn’t appear to be a timeline yet for his return.

Here are a couple other recent rumors coming out of Nashville:

  • Callahan also spoke on the fitness of second-year right tackle JC Latham, per Wyatt. Latham’s weight was a noted issue at times during his rookie season, but he seems to be turning things around in Year 2. According to Callahan, Latham “really committed himself to getting his weight at the range that he needed to get it to.” Callahan went on to say that Latham “looks great, he’s in great shape, he’s moving really well.”
  • Lastly, one could have assumed as much, but new Titans quarterback Cam Ward confirmed earlier reports from Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports that he advocated for the team to sign his favorite target with the Hurricanes, Xavier Restrepo, after he fell out of the draft. In the video provided by AtoZ Sports Nashville, Ward claims to have advocated for Restrepo to every team that talked to him throughout the draft process.

Titans CB L’Jarius Sneed Will Not Return This Year

December 20th, 2024 at 12:40pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

DECEMBER 20: Callahan said Friday (via Titaninsider.com’s Terry McCormick) that Sneed is not expected to come back, calling the high-priced cornerback’s injury “very strange” and “significant,” via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky. This will end a disappointing season for the trade pickup.

Sneed both could not do much to help the Titans this season and also left a void in the Chiefs’ lineup opposite Trent McDuffie. The recently extended corner is signed through the 2027 season; his 2025 compensation is fully guaranteed.

DECEMBER 13: L’Jarius Sneed has been sidelined since October, and recent comments from Titans head coach Brian Callahan indicate that the veteran cornerback may not play again this season.

Callahan said it was “iffy” if Sneed returns to the field this year, according to Titans team reporter Jim Wyatt. The 27-year-old played in just five games before he injured his quad. At first, the injury was not believed to be serious, but Tennessee eventually moved Sneed onto injured reserve more than a month after his first missed game.

Sneed spent most of his time on IR with Chidobe Awuzie, who was out for more than two months with a groin injury. Awuzie came back last week, but Callahan seems dubious that Sneed can make a similar return.

The Titans have plenty of reason to be cautious with their star cornerback. They sent a third-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for Sneed’s services and promptly signed him to a four-year, $76.4MM extension. His $44MM in fully-guaranteed money ranks third at the position and includes $19MM in guaranteed salary in 2025, so Tennessee will be expecting a full season from him next year.

It took more than a month for the Titans to figure out that Sneed’s injury was severe enough to require an IR stint, and the team is already eliminated from the playoffs. Risking a re-injury that could impact Sneed’s future availability would be a short-sighted move from a franchise that is likely considering their 2025 draft position at this point in the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/24

November 23rd, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Titans To Place CB L’Jarius Sneed On IR

November 22nd, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans’ revamped cornerback group has sustained heavy losses this season. Chidobe Awuzie has not played since Week 3, and L’Jarius Sneed will join the free agent signing on IR.

Sneed is moving to the injured list, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, due to a quad issue. Sneed has not played since Week 6; this will tack on four more absences to the highly paid cornerback’s ledger in what has been another tough season for the Titans’ CB corps on the injury front.

Tennessee rarely saw 2021 first-round pick Caleb Farley healthy, helping to lead to this overhaul. The Titans let Kristian Fulton and Sean Murphy-Bunting walk in free agency, adding Awuzie on a $12MM-per-year contract and then extending Sneed upon acquiring him from the Chiefs. Even with Patrick Surtain signing an extension and Jalen Ramsey being paid again, Sneed’s $44MM guaranteed at signing (on a four-year, $76.4MM deal) outflanks both and sits third among corners. The Titans have not seen the formerly reliable Chiefs cog justify the payday yet.

The Chiefs tagged Sneed but did so, as Chris Jones was the team’s priority in free agency, with the understanding he would be traded. Kansas City allowed the young starter to find a trade partner. After several teams checked in, the price did not dazzle. Although it only cost the Titans a 2025 third-round pick to acquire a tagged performer, the team needed to reward the player with an extension. Sneed, 27, certainly commanded a lucrative payday thanks to becoming a dependable boundary starter during the Chiefs’ past two Super Bowl-winning seasons; he just has not stayed healthy for his new team yet.

Though snubbed for the Pro Bowl, Sneed allowed just a 51% completion rate as the closest defender (at 4.8 yards per target) and a 56.2 passer rating. The Louisiana Tech alum did not yield a touchdown last season, playing an elite level for a Chiefs team suddenly unable to rely on its star-studded offense. Kansas City, however, has passed on paying cornerbacks over the past several years. The team also traded Marcus Peters and let the likes of Charvarius Ward, Kendall Fuller and Steven Nelson walk as free agents. The Chiefs have continued to churn out CBs, though Jaylen Watson‘s injury this season has exposed this plan a bit. The reigning champs are still in better shape than the Titans at this position.

Awuzie has been down with a groin injury, though he is expected to be designated for return next week. The Titans gave the ex-Cowboys and Bengals starter a three-year, $36MM deal that came with $19MM at signing. Sneed did not practice this week, and slot cog Roger McCreary has also missed both Tennessee practices leading up to its Week 12 game. Sneed had not played well before being shelved; Pro Football Focus rated the former Steve Spagnuolo lockdown option as the worst corner among qualified options this season.

As the Titans take a long-term approach during a season that has produced a 2-8 record, they will hope to see Sneed and Awuzie team up to at least establish some momentum for the future. Sneed cannot return until Week 16. The Titans have primarily used waiver claim Darrell Baker and fifth-round rookie Jarvis Brownlee on the perimeter this season.

AFC Contract Details: Texans, Sneed, Barrett

April 10th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recently agreed upon contracts from around the AFC:

  • Myles Bryant, CB/PR (Texans): One year, $1.75MM. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Bryant’s new deal in Houston includes a guaranteed amount of $800K comprised of $500K of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $1.2MM) and a $300K signing bonus. Bryant can earn an additional $250K throughout the season with $14,705 per game active roster bonuses.
  • C.J. Henderson, CB (Texans): One year, $2MM. Wilson reports that Henderson’s contract includes a guaranteed amount of $500K consisting of a $300K signing bonus, like Bryant, and $200K of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $1.4MM). Henderson will also get a per game active roster bonus, but his will be $17,647 per game for a potential season total of $300K.
  • L’Jarius Sneed, CB (Titans): Four years, $76.4MM. We already knew quite a bit about this deal when it was reported, though some of the figures weren’t completely accurate. While the reported number for guaranteed money was initially $55MM, it’s actually going to be $51.5MM. Per Mike Florio of NBC Sports, Sneed was guaranteed $44MM at signing consisting of Sneed’s $20MM signing bonus, his 2024 and 2025 base salaries of $4.32MM and 18.32MM, and per game active roster bonuses that equal up to $680K in each of the first two years. The per game active roster bonuses are listed as “fully guaranteed,” but they still must be earned with Sneed’s consistent presence on the active roster. Labeling a roster bonus as fully guaranteed usually means that it is prorated like a signing bonus. In theory, if Sneed misses any games in those two seasons, he’ll be forced to pay back a portion of those prorated bonuses. The remaining $7.5MM of guaranteed money comes from Sneed’s 2026 base salary of $15.15MM. His 2026 salary has $11MM guaranteed for injury at signing, which is likely where the $55MM figure came from, but effectively, the contract’s guarantees stand at $51.5MM. Additionally, Sneed’s per game active roster bonus potential season-totals increase in 2026 and 2027 to $850K apiece.
  • Shaquil Barrett, OLB (Dolphins): One year, $7MM. We originally reported on Barrett’s one-year deal being worth a maximum of $9MM, which is still true with incentives, but thanks to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, now we have the details. Barrett’s new deal in Miami has an actual base value of $7MM. It includes a guaranteed amount of $6.75MM consisting of a $5.54MM signing bonus and the entirety of Barrett’s 2024 base salary (worth $1.21MM). Barrett can also earn an additional $250K through per game active roster bonuses of $14,705 apiece. Due to tight cap space, though, the Dolphins had to add four void years onto the backend of Barrett’s deal. Whether or not he’s on the roster, he’ll carry a cap hit of $4.43MM in 2025 and $1.11MM in each of the following three seasons.

Chiefs To Trade CB L’Jarius Sneed To Titans

March 26th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 26: Sneed will end up with a bit more on his second contract, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting it will be a $76.4MM deal for the former Chiefs standout. The $19.1MM AAV will place Sneed sixth among cornerbacks. A $20MM signing bonus will comprise part of Sneed’s guarantee package; the Titans can spread that figure over the life of the contract.

MARCH 22: Despite recent reports that a previous trade agreement fell through after the Titans were unable to reach an extension agreement for Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal will come to pass.

Tennessee is finalizing a trade that will send Kansas City a 2025 third-round pick and will swap the teams’ seventh-round picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft in order to acquire the 27-year-old defender.

The Chiefs had applied the franchise tag to Sneed in order to avoid him hitting unrestricted free agency following the expiration of his rookie deal. Despite the move to keep him under contract, Kansas City didn’t display much of a desire to keep Sneed on the roster in 2024. The team is extremely familiar with the tag-and-trade maneuver having used it to send Dee Ford to San Francisco and acquiring Frank Clark from Seattle under similar circumstances.

Kansas City was unwilling to meet the salary desires that Sneed had for an extension, so it made it clear to the rest of the league that its star cornerback was available for the right price. The Vikings, Colts, Patriots, Lions, Falcons, Jaguars, and Dolphins were all reported as teams to show an initial interest, though several sought other options or simply opted to cease communication with the Chiefs about a deal.

Tennessee took advantage of having the third-most salary cap space in the league, signing Sneed to what Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report reports will be a four-year, $76MM extension. If those terms are correct, his new deal would match recently extended Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson‘s in length and overall value. The main difference that Schultz gives us is that while Johnson’s deal included $51.4MM of guarantees, Sneed’s will have $55MM of guaranteed money.

The Titans were reportedly the only team that got close enough, reaching a point at which a deal was essentially ready to go last week, but without being able to reach an agreement on an extended contract from Sneed, the deal seemingly fell through. Following their failed efforts to acquire Sneed, the Titans pivoted, signing free agent cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and using the money set aside for a Sneed extension to sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

Sneed comes to Tennessee as the obvious new starter alongside Roger McCreary and Awuzie, replacing Sean Murphy-Bunting, who signed a three-year, $25.5MM deal that sent him to Arizona. The Titans also lost their other outside cornerback when Kristian Fulton signed a one-year contract with the Chargers. Sneed and Awuzie should take over roles as the main outside corners, allowing McCreary to continue to excel in the slot.

As for the Chiefs, while they’ll certainly miss having a playmaker like Sneed in their secondary, they have to feel pretty good about their position moving forward. Once the trade goes through, the totality of Sneed’s $19.8MM franchise tag salary will come of their salary cap, granting much needed cap space to a team that ranked 28th in the NFL before the deal.

As for the draft capital return, in addition to the seventh-round swap, the team will be gauging the success of their trade on how poorly Tennessee performs in 2024. The 2025 third-rounder will obviously come before the late-third-round compensatory pick that Sneed was likely to return as an unrestricted free agent. If the Titans have a poor showing next season, though, they could return an early-third-round pick as a result of today’s deal.

Without Sneed, Kansas City still has to feel pretty good about its talent at cornerback. Three third-year players will return to lead the position room in 2024. In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chiefs selected Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie in the first round, Fayetteville State cornerback Joshua Williams in the fourth round, and Washington State cornerback Jaylen Watson in the seventh. Today, it views all three as starting-caliber players in their third year.

Specializing in the slot, McDuffie ranked as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best cornerback in the NFL in 2023. Williams wasn’t far behind as the 26th-best, and Watson graded out at 46th. Including those three and Sneed, the team touts an impressive record evaluating draft-eligible cornerbacks. If they feel the need to add bodies to the room, look to the draft as the likely source of their next great cornerback.

Titans’ Trade For CB L’Jarius Sneed Falls Through; League Interest Cooling

March 22nd, 2024 at 8:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Two weeks ago, we went into some detail on the list of teams interested in trading for Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The Titans were one of those teams, and it appears the team was all but set to trade for Kansas City’s top cornerback before one detail sank the deal. According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, the inability of Tennessee to reach an agreement on a multi-year extension for Sneed kept the trade from going through.

The Chiefs avoided allowing Sneed to test unrestricted free agency by applying the franchise tag on him earlier this month. While every now and then, a franchise tag application can be the end of the story, keeping a key player under contract for one additional, high-paying year, often times, the tag is meant to buy time as the player continues to seek a long-term contract. With Sneed, that meant two options: seeking a long-term contract with Kansas City or getting traded to another team that may be more open to giving him the deal he desires.

The Chiefs are very familiar with the tag-and-trade maneuver. They have utilized it themselves to send Dee Ford to the 49ers while also taking advantage of it to bring Frank Clark from Seattle. Right now, it appears that Kansas City is unwilling to meet Sneed where he’s wanting to be in terms of a contract extension. As a result, they have essentially informed every team in the NFL that Sneed is available for a trade.

With the Chiefs hearing offers on Sneed, a number of teams reached out to express interest. We noted the Vikings, Colts, Titans, Patriots, Lions, Falcons, Jaguars, and Dolphins as teams looking to acquire the 27-year-old. While all these teams showed initial interest, it was never clear how many had the intentions of trading for Sneed then extending him.

Sneed has made it clear that he is seeking a three- or four-year contract with an average annual value of at least $20MM, a salary that would make him the league’s third-highest-paid cornerback. While Tennessee was ready to part ways with whatever Kansas City wanted in exchange for Sneed, the Titans were apparently not ready to hand Sneed a new contract. Without a new contract, Sneed is set to play with a one-year salary of $19.8MM on the franchise tag, with every penny counting towards his team’s cap space. This provides incentive for the Chiefs or whatever team trades for him to use a new deal to lessen his salary cap impact.

The Titans apparently pivoted from the Sneed-trade to sign cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and use the extra money to sign wide receiver Calvin Ridley. The Lions traded instead for cornerback Carlton Davis. Additionally, Taylor informs that the Patriots, Vikings, and Falcons have ceased engagements with Kansas City concerning Sneed. So who else is left to vie for his services?

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini names Indianapolis as the most likely destination for Sneed at this time. The Chiefs will be wanting at least a second-round pick for Sneed, but if they can’t reach that value, they’re going to want two picks, with one of them being a third-rounder. She identifies the Colts‘ 46th, 82nd, and 117th overall picks as the ones that could entice Kansas City. On the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter disputed Russini’s opinion, claiming that “the Colts and the Chiefs haven’t had any conversations” about a trade taking place. Stephen Holder of ESPN delved deeper claiming that, after contemplating the idea of a Sneed-trade, Indianapolis instead opted to re-sign its own players, like cornerback Kenny Moore.

As for the Chiefs, the relative inactivity around Sneed could allow them to lower Sneed’s asking price on a new deal. Sneed has expressed interest in remaining with the Chiefs multiple times. He doesn’t seem too eager to give a hometown discount, as he realizes that this is likely his best opportunity to maximize on his value, but he likes the idea of a Super Bowl three-peat and enjoyed his role as the team’s shadow corner.

Kansas City is in no rush to overpay, though. They are currently ranked 28th in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, and they are confident in their ability to identify cornerback talent through the draft. Without Sneed, the Chiefs will return Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson, three players they believe to be starting-caliber.

As the draft inches closer and closer, it’s starting to seem like one of two things will need to happen: either Kansas City is going to need to lower their asking price for Sneed in order to move him, or Sneed will need to lower his asking price for a new extension. It doesn’t sound like the Chiefs are interested in keeping Sneed on the roster in 2024, but someone will need to bend in order for him to move. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, for one, expects the team to move on from Sneed before the draft.

Suitors Emerging For Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed

March 10th, 2024 at 9:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 10: Add the Dolphins to the list of Sneed interested parties. Miami is not in good cap shape and may well lose both Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt in free agency. But with the team cutting Xavien Howard, cornerback help will be sought. The Dolphins are believed to have looked into the prospect of acquiring Sneed, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.

MARCH 6: As expected, the Chiefs were among the teams which applied the franchise tag before Tuesday’s deadline, keeping L’Jarius Sneed off the free agent market in the process. The standout corner is far from certain to remain in Kansas City, though, as a tag-and-trade maneuver is on the table.

Sneed has served as a full-time starter for nearly his entire Chiefs tenure (70 regular and postseason games), developing into a key member of the team’s vaunted secondary. The tag will cost $19.8MM in 2024, though, using up significant cap space on a team already needing a new deal for Chris Jones. The latter is the defending champions’ priority, and a re-up will not come cheaply. A long-term Sneed pact could also approach or reach the $20MM-per-year-mark his one-year tender is valued at.

Knowing Sneed could very well be on the trade block, Tyler Dragon of USA Today Sports reports seven teams have emerged as interested suitors. That list consists of the Vikings, Colts, Titans, Patriots, Lions, Falcons and Jaguars. Many of those teams are among those set to have the most spending power ahead of free agency and therefore the ones most capable of absorbing Sneed’s cap hit as it stands while working out a lucrative long-term deal.

Of course, teams like Minnesota, Indianapolis and Jacksonville could see sizable changes to their cap situations in the near future. The Vikings have two of the top pending free agents in Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, and meeting the stated objective of retaining both will use up much of their cap space. The Colts and Jags, meanwhile, used the franchise tag on wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and edge rusher Josh Allen yesterday; long-term deals with either could lower their 2024 cap figures and free up room for an aggressive Sneed pursuit.

The Falcons – presumed to be a strong Cousins suitor – will likely wait until their quarterback addition has been made before authorizing a costly move (in terms of draft capital and finances) like a Sneed acquisition. New England and Tennessee rank second and third in respective cap space as things stand, meaning those teams could outbid other suitors and immediately make a deal for the 27-year-old a priority. Detroit reportedly has cornerback at or near the top of the organization’s offseason to-do list, so a Sneed trade would come as little surprise.

With respect to compensation, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer predicts a second-round pick could be required to convince the Chiefs to green-light a trade. Losing an effective contributor will no doubt induce Kansas City to generate as many bidders as possible and land better draft capital than what a 2025 free agent departure would yield (a third-round compensatory pick the following year). With free agency one week away, it will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for Sneed if the Chiefs move forward with exploring a trade.

Chiefs Place Franchise Tag On CB L’Jarius Sneed

March 4th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

One day out from the franchise tag deadline, the Chiefs have followed through with the expected move of placing the one-year tender on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The non-exclusive tag was applied on Monday, per a team announcement.

The move will keep Sneed off the open market, but his future with the defending champions is of course still uncertain. Kansas City was reported last week to be prepared to use the tag, but the team gave Sneed permission to seek out a trade sending him elsewhere. Now (at least temporarily) locked into a 2024 salary of $19.8MM, the standout cover man can continue that process.

To no surprise, Sneed is on the radar of interested teams looking to make a notable cornerback addition. Any suitor willing to send trade capital the Chiefs’ way would no doubt do so with a long-term arrangement worked out with the 27-year-old. Sneed has been an integral part of Kansas City’s secondary over the course of his four-year tenure, playing a major role in the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl runs the past two seasons.

The former fourth-rounder totaled five interceptions and 30 pass deflections across regular and postseason play between 2022-23. Given his age and production, Sneed would be counted on as a defensive anchor on any acquiring team, and the Chiefs could solicit several offers if a tag-and-trade is determined as the preferred direction. Any and all developments on the Sneed front will take place against the backdrop of defensive tackle Chris Jones‘ pending free agency.

The latter appears to be the Chiefs’ higher priority with respect to working out a deal for 2024 and beyond, and the sides may manage to accomplish that goal before free agency. Jones’ asking price – after a hold-out which lasted into the regular season and preceded another stellar campaign – will be a major factor in negotiations, one which both team and player hope will result in a new contract. A pact coming anywhere near the $30MM range in AAV (or even eclipsing Aaron Donald‘s market-setting $31.67MM figure) will leave fewer resources for other offseason moves, like a long-term Sneed extension.

Kansas City already has Trent McDuffie on his rookie contract, and he will remain a foundational member of the team’s defense moving forward regardless of if Sneed remains with the Chiefs or not. The latter can negotiate a multi-year deal as late as July 15 before signing the tag and playing out the season with the full $19.8MM figure landing on his team’s cap sheet in the absence of an agreement. The question of whether that team will be Kansas City will be a key one in the 2024 offseason.

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