The Kansas City Chiefs have found themselves in an odd situation with one of their biggest stars. While the team cannot keep every player due to cap room, they have attempted to keep together their core Super Bowl-winning unit.
However, one such player who could be on his way out is star CB L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed was hit with the non-exclusive franchise tag earlier this month by the Chiefs, which was a smart move.
The non-exclusive franchise tag means that Sneed is free to negotiate with other teams, though the Chiefs will be given a chance to match that deal. They could have placed this tag on Sneed to test his market, and eventually decide if they could match someone else without offering too much on a new contract.
Sneed has expressed that he does not want to play on a franchise tag, and he must be given a multi-year deal by the Chiefs or some other team willing to trade for him. That multi-year deal and trade was reportedly “close” and the Tennessee Titans were a major player.
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According to a report from The Athletic, the Titans became very interested in trading for Sneed, but the issue became his new contract. Despite many teams wanting to trade for big-name players, they often have to promise a new contract should they do so.
Sneed is no slouch. The young CB has secured 10 interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 40 passes defended in his short four-year career. This includes 2 interceptions, 14 PDs, and not surrendering a single TD in 2023. Any secondary would be immediately boosted should they land him.
The Titans have been plenty busy in free agency, landing huge names like former Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard, and former Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley.
Both Ridley and Pollard are instant upgrades for QB Will Levis and the offense, though it could have been the four-year $92 million deal that Ridley got that hamstrung further free-agent acquisitions.
They did acquire CB Chidobe Awuzie from the Cincinnati Bengals, though they need another starter who can pair with Awuzie.
According to Spotrac.com, the Titans sit in the #1 position in terms of available cap space. They have a staggering $50.3 million in available cap, which makes the deal with Sneed not happening seem odd.
Sneed will reportedly fetch around a $20 million per year deal, making him the third-highest-paid CB behind Green Bay Packers’ Jaire Alexander at $21 million and Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward at $20.1 million.
We imagine trade talks between teams and the Chiefs will kick off again a short time before the 2024 NFL Draft. This will especially be true if deals between teams wanting to move start to shake up the draft before it even begins.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
