CHIEFS TRADE FRANCHISE CB L’JARIUS SNEED TO THE TENNESSEE TITANS
The Kansas City Chiefs are trading franchise cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The trade, which is expected to be final pending a physical, includes a 2025 third-round pick from the Titans being dealt to Kansas City, in addition to a 2024 seventh-round pick swap. Sneed is the second franchise tagged player to be dealt this offseason, following former Carolina Panthers DE Brian Burns, who was traded to the New York Giants a few weeks prior.
As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs loved Sneed as a player and would have wanted to keep him but ultimately had to move on due to cap constraints. Chiefs All-Pro C Creed Humphrey, LB Nick Bolton, and OL Trey Smith are up for extensions soon and Kansas City needs cap space. With Sneed’s loss, the team is now in line for a high compensatory pick.
Sneed’s departure to Tennessee frees up $19.8 million against the Chiefs’ salary cap.
As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Sneed and the Titans have the framework of a huge contract agreement that they’ve been working on for several days. The new deal is expected to be slightly more than his $19.8 million franchise tag number and should make the 2020 fourth-round pick one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.
Sneed is coming off of a stellar 2023 season, in which he played a key role on the way to the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl in as many years. Not only did the former Louisiana Tech Bulldog travel with the best receivers on the opposing teams all year (covering them on 65% of the snaps a league-high seven times during the regular season, as per NFL Next Gen Stats) but also shut them down. Sneed didn’t allow a touchdown catch as the nearest defender in coverage all season until the Chiefs’ divisional-round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills.
In four years with the Chiefs, the Minden, Louisiana native started 67 games, including playoffs, and recorded 11 interceptions (averaging 2.75 INTs per season), 8.5 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits.
Sneed’s exit means the Chiefs will now have to address the cornerback position in the draft, with most of the defensive back free agency market now depleted. Kansas City has a good track record of adding to that position in the draft and most recently selected CB Trent McDuffie in 2022. The former Washington Husky is currently one of the key pieces on the Chiefs defense and is proving himself to be one of the best slot cornerbacks in the entire league.
Tennessee, on the other hand, has already signed former Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in free agency this month and are now adding to that position in a significant way. Awuzie signed a three-year, $36 million deal and with Sneed on the opposite side, the new regime believes the team is better equipped to face division rival quarterbacks CJ Stroud, Trevor Lawrence and Anthony Richardson in the AFC South.
In addition to Awuzie and Sneed, the Titans have added a few more pieces, contributing to what’s been a busy offseason in Nashville. The team has been active in free agency and has already given significant multi-year extensions to three free agents over the past two weeks. The Titans recently signed WR Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million deal, OL Lloyd Cushenberry to a four-year, $50 million deal and former Cowboys RB Tony Pollard to a three-year, $24 million deal.
The team also added former Chargers LB Kenneth Murray on a two-year deal as well as former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph on a one-year agreement.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Casey Fleser. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.