NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans agreed to a blockbuster trade on Friday night that will send star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans.

Tennessee is sending a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Kanas City Chiefs for Sneed. The Titans will then be signing Sneed to a four-year contract worth $76 million with $55 million in total guarantees.

The trade fills a huge need for the Titans. But as always, comes with both pros and cons for Tennessee.

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The Pros

Titans fans should be elated about the cornerback duo their team has acquired this offseason. Sneed will be joining recently signed cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on the perimeter for the Titans defense with Roger McCreary playing in the slot.

That’s a shockingly strong cornerback room with experience and reliability. Something the Titans have been without for the last few seasons.

New Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson comes from a background as a defensive backs coach. That makes me believe he’ll be able to get the most out of Sneed and Awuzie and Tennessee will have a dangerous secondary in 2024. Ran Carthon has made a legitimate effort this offseason to give Wilson the necessary defensive tools to succeed. That’s something to celebrate.

Last offseason, Tennessee was bargain bin hunting for free agents. One year later, they’re swinging for the fences.

The draft picks going back to the Chiefs in the deal are another thing to celebrate. Trading away picks is a dangerous game and never fun. In fact, it’s something that made me weary of this trade altogether. But the only pick Tennessee is losing will be a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft (the seventh-rounder being traded is a pick swap). Not losing immediate assets is a win.

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The Cons

While the Titans got away without making the Sneed the highest paid cornerback in the sport, his new deal puts him right near the top.

Sneed is now one of eight NFL cornerbacks with a contract between $19-21 million in AAV. His contract matches the one Jaylon Johnson just got from the Chicago Bears this offseason and puts him just shy of Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs, and Jalen Ramsey. That's a big investment to make when your roster still has holes at inside linebacker, safety, edge rusher, and offensive tackle. 

Don't get me wrong, I think Sneed is worth the contract. His play has been excellent over his four-year NFL career and he's just 27-years-old. $76 million is a fair price for an elite NFL cornerback still in their prime, but was it something the Titans could afford to do now?

On one hand, you have cap space for a reason. This deal does not put Tennessee in cap trouble. But if the other holes in this roster don't get solved, does a $76 million cornerback really change the outlook for the season? Whether it be through free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft, the Titans still need to acquire an inside linebacker, safety, edge rusher, and at least one offensive tackle.

I also have some concerns about the knee issues Sneed battled in 2023. Hopefully it is not something that will be a relevant with the Titans. But it's at least something to monitor given the guaranteed money on his contract.

"Sneed suffered a knee injury during the postseason run in the 2022-23 NFL season ahead of the AFC Championship Game. It caused him to be limited in practice leading up to that game, but it didn't seem to impact him much more.

Upon returning in the 2023 NFL offseason, Sneed still dealt with knee swelling. He missed a dozen days of training camp and all three preseason games while nursing that lingering injury.

The team remained steadfast in their belief that Sneed would be ready to play by Week 1 ,and he was. He was also listed on the injury report with said knee injury until Week 8, with several limited and full participation days in practice, but no games missed. He reappeared on the injury report again after the bye week in Week 10 with that same knee injury. The second stay on the injury report lasted through Week 16, at which point Sneed suffered a calf injury and was listed as questionable for Week 17.

He sat out during the team's Week 18 tilt with the Chargers as the team was locked into their seeding. The calf injury didn't impact him in the playoffs, but he was listed on the report throughout. The knee injury didn't appear to limit him in any way during the regular season as evidenced by his performance, but it's certainly something that teams are going to want to check out.

There's a variety of issues that can cause swelling, but if this is a long-term issue, it could impact how much teams are willing to offer in free agency. All of that said, the Chiefs did a good job of managing the injury this year, so it's reasonable that other teams could do the same. Without the proper background on the injury, signing him could prove to be a gamble."

– via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports Kansas City

Tennessee Titans make franchise history with massive trade and contract for L’Jarius Sneed late Friday night

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