Chiefs prepared for a tag-and-trade scenario with CB L'Jarius Sneed if a long-term deal is not reached

The Kansas City Chiefs have made their contingency plan for pending free agent CB L'Jarius Sneed crystal clear.  Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chiefs GM Brett Veach explained that the team was likely to use the franchise tag. The likeliest candidate for that franchise tag is CB L'Jarius Sneed, but that doesn't mean Sneed would […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The Kansas City Chiefs have made their contingency plan for pending free agent CB L'Jarius Sneed crystal clear. 

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chiefs GM Brett Veach explained that the team was likely to use the franchise tag. The likeliest candidate for that franchise tag is CB L'Jarius Sneed, but that doesn't mean Sneed would play the 2024 NFL season on a one-year $19.8M tag amount. 

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs have informed Sneed that they are prepared to use the franchise tag on him. However, if a long-term contract extension is not agreed upon, they're open to trading Sneed to a team that would offer him a long-term contract extension. Fowler also reports that Sneed is agreeable to that scenario. 

A former fourth-round draft pick in 2020, Sneed has established himself as a shutdown cornerback in the NFL. It's clear that there exists a scenario where they keep him, but they've also proven that they can unearth talent at the cornerback position with relative ease whether it's a first-round choice in Trent McDuffie, or late-round selections in Josh Williams, Jaylen Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson. 

The Chiefs are better prepared to lose a player like Sneed than say Chris Jones, but that doesn't mean they don't want to get anything back in return for Sneed. With plenty of needs in the 2024 NFL draft, it's reasonable that they'd expect a premium pick within the top 100 in a package to acquire Sneed. 

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