Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was instrumental in the team’s run to a second straight Super Bowl, and if the back-to-back reigning champs want to keep him, they’ll need to pay a steep price.
In an interview with Kay Adams on Thursday, Sneed sounded off on his future in Kansas City, suggesting that the Chiefs might not have enough salary cap room to shell out new, multi-year mega contracts to himself and all-time great interior pass-rusher Chris Jones:
Jones has already made it clear he wants to be back, and the cost to franchise tag him is too prohibitive to entertain. Sneed seems more like a franchise tag candidate, but he may not agree to sign the tender without a lengthier deal in place. If he can live with a handsome paycheck for one year in the spirit of going for a three-peat, Sneed could cash in during the 2025 offseason if he wants to move elsewhere.
Although we just had the Super Bowl, free agency is less than a month away. Longtime NFL insider Tony Pauline recently reported on the buzz already circulating on Sneed, who’ll be one of the most sought-after players on the open market. Among the alleged interested suitors are the Falcons, Raiders and Cowboys.
It’d be a hell of a get for Las Vegas to poach Sneed from an AFC West rival. Dallas is a little harder to see as a fit, since the Cowboys have pick-six artist DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs coming back from a torn ACL. As for Atlanta, I could see why new Falcons coach Raheem Morris would covet Sneed’s play style and coverage chops since he has a heavy background as a secondary coach. The combination of A.J. Terrell and Sneed could really elevate Atlanta’s defense to another level.
If it weren’t for Sneed’s instincts to punch out the ball from Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers right at the goal line, we could’ve had a far different Super Bowl — not to mention a far different conversation about the Chiefs’ dynasty.
What Sneed brings to the Chiefs’ locker room can’t be easily replaced. His physicality in run support and as a press-man cover guy make him an especially dangerous cornerback. Not your standard contact-wary player with sticky coverage skills. Between first-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie and Sneed, Kansas City probably has the best CB tandem in the NFL right now. Breaking that up would be a bummer for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Spags has made his scheme work with all different kinds of lineups over the years. Plus, Chiefs GM Brett Veach’s real calling card has been drafting since he arrived in KC. Before he was even in charge of personnel, Veach was the one pounding the table for Mahomes. Since taking over the big chair, he’s done nothing but nail tons of picks, and is particularly adept at finding talent in the defensive backfield. We’ll see what that means for Sneed.
The Chiefs survived losing Charvarius Ward to San Francisco a while back. Rolling the dice twice on letting a quality corner walk seems risky. Then again, having a legendary quarterback like Patrick Mahomes can embolden even the most conservative GMs to get a little frisky with certain other moves.
