7 NFL Teams That Should Pursue Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed on the Trade Market
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for a three-peat in 2024, so they aren't going to let a marquee contributor like cornerback L'Jarius Sneed walk away in free agency for nothing.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs have informed Sneed that they are prepared to use the franchise tag on him before the March 5 deadline. However, that doesn't guarantee Sneed will return to Kansas City on a one-year deal.
Per Fowler, Kansas City is "open to consummate a trade" if it tags Sneed and fails to reach a long-term extension with him. The star cornerback is "agreeable" to that, Fowler added.
That doesn't guarantee Sneed will be traded, either. But letting this information slip allows the Chiefs to start building a potential trade market—and several teams should have interest.
Here, we'll examine seven NFL teams that should pursue Sneed if he does indeed become available, based on factors like roster needs, scheme fit and projected cap space. First, though, let's dive into what Sneed is likely to cost on the trade market.
Assessing Sneed's Trade Value
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In a vacuum, Sneed is probably worth a first-round draft pick. That may be where Kansas City starts its negotiations.
Although Sneed has never been named to the Pro Bowl, he was easily one of the NFL's top cover corners in 2023. The 27-year-old allowed an opposing passer rating of only 56.2 in coverage, and he didn't allow a single touchdown during the regular season despite being targeted 100 times.
A driving force in Steve Spagnuolo's defense, Sneed showed that he can shine on the perimeter last season after spending a lot of time in the slot over his first three years. He can run stride-for-stride with some of the league's top pass-catchers, and while his aggressive style of play can lead to penalties, Sneed is a tone-setter.
Of course, Sneed cannot be evaluated in a vacuum. His contract status has to be considered too. He'll carry a 2024 cap hit of $19.8 million if he remains on the franchise tag, and any team interested in him must be willing to give him to a pricey, long-term extension. Jaire Alexander leads all NFL cornerbacks with an annual value of $21 million, and Sneed is deserving of a top-tier contract.
Teams typically aren't eager to overpay for a single year of contract control or to take on a massive cap hit, even when the player is deserving. That's why the Los Angeles Rams were only able to secure a 2023 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey last offseason.
Sneed isn't as accomplished as Ramsey, but he's also more than two years younger and is entering his playing prime. While a strong free-agent CB market headlined by Jaylon Johnson, Stephon Gilmore, Kendall Fuller and Chidobe Awuzie should depress Sneed's trade value, a second- or third-round pick should be a reasonable price point.
Cincinnati Bengals
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is working his way back from wrist surgery and appears to be progressing well.
"As far as I know, it's going really well," Bengals director of personnel Duke Tobin said, per Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams.
If Burrow is back to his pre-injury form by training camp, the Bengals should have few questions on offense in 2024. However, they still must improve a defense that ranked 28th against the pass and 31st overall last season to return to the Super Bowl chase.
Further complicating matters, the Bengals might lose veteran corner Chidobe Awuzie in free agency. Acquiring Sneed would give them a long-term complement to Cam Taylor-Britt on the perimeter and an upgrade over DJ Turner II, who allowed an opposing passer rating of 111.6 as a rookie in 2023.
With $52.2 million in projected cap space after factoring in Tee Higgins' franchise tag, Cincinnati can afford to acquire and extend Sneed. The big question is whether the Chiefs would be willing to send Sneed to a potential AFC playoff rival, particularly one that has ousted them from the postseason before.
To convince Kansas City to play ball, the Bengals might have to offer their second-round selection (49th overall) instead of a third-rounder. Even at that price, though, acquiring Sneed would be worth it for a Cincinnati team with championship aspirations.
Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions are firmly in the Super Bowl picture, and with a slightly better defense, they might have gotten there this past postseason. The Lions held a 24-7 lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game before their defense started to crack.
Detroit's biggest defensive deficiencies reside on the back end. While the Lions have a stout defensive front, their secondary finished the season ranked 27th in passing yards allowed and 29th in net yards per pass attempt surrendered.
Cornerback is a big need for the Lions entering free agency and the draft, and general manager Brad Holmes recently discussed what his team wants at the position.
"I know the money-maker is ball production, and that's first and foremost, but you've got to tackle, too," Holmes said, per The Athletic's Colton Pouncey. "The more and more you see, when your corners are tackling, that can really define who you are on defense."
Sneed, who had 60 solo stops with only six missed tackles in 2023, checks all the boxes for Detroit. He's a physical and instinctual defender when pursuing ball-carriers, as evidenced by his timely strip of Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers at the goal line in the AFC title game.
With $57.5 million in projected cap space, Detroit can afford to pursue Sneed. And since the Lions are in the NFC, they might be able to acquire him for less than an AFC team like Cincinnati could.
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Houston Texans
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With reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud in the fold and just getting started, the Houston Texans are poised to be playoff contenders for the foreseeable future. Houston was one of the NFL's biggest surprises in 2023, and with a few more pieces, it can be much more than that.
Acquiring a budding star corner like Sneed would make a ton of sense for the Texans for a few reasons. For one, pass defense was the team's biggest liability in 2023—Houston finished the year ranked 23rd in yards allowed and 27th in net yards per attempt allowed. Secondly, the Texans could potentially lose cornerbacks Steven Nelson and Tavierre Thomas in free agency.
While taking a chance on a top draft prospect like Alabama's Terrion Arnold or Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell would be plenty logical for the Texans, Houston can afford to add and build around veteran talent, too.
Houston is projected to have $70 million in cap space this offseason. With young stars like Stroud, Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Will Anderson Jr. on rookie contracts, it should have little trouble signing a player like Sneed to a long-term contract.
As is the case with Cincinnati, though, the Texans might have to offer their second-round pick (59th overall) to pry Sneed away from Kansas City. The Chiefs didn't face Houston during the 2023 postseason, but that doesn't mean they'll be eager to see an improved Texans team in 2024.
Los Angeles Rams
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In recent years, almost every available trade candidate was linked to the Los Angeles Rams. General manager Les Snead was aggressive in adding talent and has swung trades for the likes of Matthew Stafford, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey.
However, Snead appears content to take a more conservative approach now. In mid-January, he admitted that he might not burn through his team's $43.6 million of cap space in the early days of free agency.
"I probably would not expect us to go out on (when) the bell rings, open (the) new league year and spend $40 million in free agency," Snead said, per Stu Jackson of the team's official website. "But what it does allow us to do is take a look."
If Sneed is available for a Day 2 selection, though, Snead and the Rams would be foolish not to consider him.
L.A.'s playoff window is open once again thanks to ascending stars like Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams and Kobie Turner. However, aging players like Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Stafford still form a large portion of the Rams core.
Improving a pass defense that ranked 20th in yards allowed last season would help the Rams maximize their current window. And Sneed is still young enough to remain a building block even after players like Donald, Stafford and Kupp are no longer around.
Philadelphia Eagles
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To return to championship contention, the Philadelphia Eagles need to bolster a defense that collapsed down the stretch in 2023. They finished 31st in passing yards allowed, 26th in total yards allowed and 30th in points allowed amidst a midseason change at defensive coordinator.
Hiring former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this offseason was a step in the right direction, but the Eagles must now address a defensive roster that is very questionable in the back seven.
Acquiring Sneed would give the Eagles a major upgrade over James Bradberry opposite Darius Slay. After allowing a passer rating of only 51.4 and two touchdowns in 2022, Bradberry took a major step backward this past season, allowing 11 touchdowns and a passer rating of 114.3.
Unfortunately, it makes no financial sense for the Eagles to dump Bradberry this offseason. Releasing him even with a post-June 1 designation would leave them with $17.2 million in dead money while saving just $150,000 in cap space.
However, that doesn't mean Philly should or is even likely to ignore the cornerback position. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Eagles called the Denver Broncos about cornerback Patrick Surtain II ahead of last year's trade deadline.
Obviously, that deal never materialized. But with Sneed now potentially available, general manager Howie Roseman should be working the phone lines again.
The Eagles have only $26.9 million in cap space and are likely saddled with Bradberry's contract for another year. However, they could sign Sneed to a backloaded extension since dumping Bradberry next offseason will be much more affordable.
San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers defense was solid in 2023, but it wasn't quite good enough to prevent Kyle Shanahan's squad from blowing another second-half lead in the Super Bowl to Kansas City.
While the 49ers are currently engaged in a search for their next defensive coordinator—they let Steve Wilks go after the Super Bowl—they should also consider revamping their cornerback room.
San Francisco ranked a good-not-great 14th in passing yards allowed last season and recently released cornerback Isaiah Oliver. The 49ers appear open to improving their secondary via the trade market, as they were "checking in on" both Patrick Surtain II and Jaylon Johnson ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Acquiring Sneed would strengthen the 49ers secondary while reuniting him with former Chiefs teammate Charvarius Ward.
There are significant obstacles to a Sneed deal for San Francisco, though. The 49ers are facing a cap deficit of $3.4 million, although they could potentially fix that by signing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to an extension. San Francisco would also have to convince Kansas City to send one of its top defenders to a team it has faced twice in the Super Bowl over the past five seasons.
However, that shouldn't stop San Francisco from making a run at Sneed. The 49ers are a piece or two from being able to finally get over the Super Bowl hump, and Sneed would be a major addition in that regard.
Washington Commanders
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The Washington Commanders are the outlier in this group because they aren't expected to be a playoff team in 2024. However, that doesn't mean that Washington can't have the sort of quick turnaround that the Texans experienced this past season.
The Commanders hold the second overall pick in the draft and are widely expected to use it on a top quarterback prospect like USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye. If Washington's new quarterback adapts to the NFL as quickly as Stroud did for Houston, the Commanders should at least be interesting in 2024.
However, improved quarterback play alone won't make Washington a contender. Its defense was downright bad in 2023, ranking dead last in passing yards allowed, passing touchdowns allowed, total yards allowed and points allowed.
New head coach Dan Quinn, who has a defensive background, likely knows Washington's roster isn't good enough. Adding a top-tier cover corner like Sneed would help change that.
The Commanders, who have a league-high $82.3 million in cap space, have the financial flexibility to make Sneed a long-term piece of their rebuild. Armed with the third pick in Round 3 (67th overall), Washington could also make Kansas City an enticing offer without parting with a second-round selection.
The Texans added centerpieces on both sides of the ball last year by drafting Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. with a pair of top-three picks. Washington could follow suit by drafting its quarterback of the future and by trading for the lockdown cornerback that it currently lacks.
Cap and contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.
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