The Kansas City Chiefs traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans for just a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round picks.
That’s not much compensation for their No. 1 cornerback, who regularly followed the opposing team’s best receiver in 2023.
“Sneed had an All-Pro year,” Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones said, “should’ve been an All-Pro.”
In fact, the last time the Chiefs placed a franchise tag on a player and then subsequently traded him away was when they did so during the 2019 offseason.
Edge rusher Dee Ford netted a 2019 second-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers. That pick (the 63rd overall, which was used to select linebacker Willie Gay) was not only higher than anything the Chiefs received for Sneed, but it also was in the upcoming draft — instead of a year away.
There, however, were a few factors that worked against the Chiefs getting more for Sneed.
He is 27, and cornerbacks typically don’t have the same level of success into their 30s.
On top of that age concern, there is some worry about Sneed’s knees, which kept him out almost the entirety of 2023 training camp.
Lastly, Sneed is extremely physical — but almost too physical. He’s prone to racking up illegal contact and pass interference penalties.
He admitted last year that opposing teams tell the officials to look out for him.
“They got my name down,” he said. “I’m [an] aggressive corner and I’m going to keep being aggressive. They don’t like it.”
Also the most valuable part of the Sneed acquisition was getting his $19.8 million franchise tag off their bookkeeping. That gives the Chiefs the opportunity to potentially re-sign free agents such as Mike Danna and Donovan Smith or further bolster their wide receiving corps.
They also could use some of that money to lock up two offensive line stalwarts — Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith — or Nick Bolton, the quarterback of the defense. All three will be entering contract years and are due for extensions.
Lastly, a fourth-round pick could turn out to be quite valuable. That’s where Sneed (138th overall) was actually drafted in 2020.
And the Chiefs regularly have found cornerbacks in that round or later and turned them into good players. Joshua Williams (fourth round, 135th overall) and Jaylen Watson (seventh round, 243rd overall) have been strong contributors during their first two years in the league, and Charvarius Ward went from undrafted to starting 43 games for the Chiefs to a 2023 Pro Bowler (albeit with the 49ers).
Cornerbacks are a specialty of astute defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Give him raw, inexperienced but long and athletic prospects, and he’ll figure out a way to make them be effective in his scheme.
That said, replacing Sneed won’t be easy, and the defense might take a step back without him, considering the impact he made in 2023.
“Each and every week, he’s going up against the top receiver, getting his hands on them, pressing them,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said during the middle of the 2023 season. “That dude is balling.”
Sneed’s victims included Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson, who was held to three catches for 28 yards, and the NFL’s leading receiver, Tyreek Hill, who was limited to 62 yards — twice.
After the latter contest against Hill in the opening round of the playoffs, Hill joked on X that Sneed “Jammed my ahh to Cancun.”
Sneed didn’t allow a touchdown catch as the nearest defender in coverage all season until the Chiefs’ divisional round playoff win against the Buffalo Bills when he surrendered a 13-yard touchdown to wide receiver Khalil Shakir.
In the ensuing game — the AFC Championship Game victory against the Baltimore Ravens — Sneed made the game-changing play.
On the first play of the fourth quarter and with the Ravens poised to cut the deficit to three — he punched the ball out after Zay Flowers’ eight-yard reception.
Momentum shifted back to the Chiefs, steering them to their second consecutive Super Bowl.
As they aim for a third straight, they now will have to do so without their physical, playmaking cornerback.