NFL Rumors: L'Jarius Sneed Eyes 3- or 4-Year Contract Amid Chiefs Franchise Tag Buzz

As the Kansas City Chiefs reportedly plan to place their franchise tag on cornerback L'Jarius Sneed on Monday, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Larry Holder and Nate Taylor, the 27-year-old is looking for a longer contract with Kansas City.

"Sneed has expressed several times in the past two years his desire to continue playing for the Chiefs," Russini, Holder and Taylor reported. "He wants a three- or four-year contract, according to a league source. If no deal is reached before the draft, the team is comfortable with consummating a trade, according to league sources."

If Sneed signs his franchise tag, he will be on a one-year, $19.8 million deal.

Sneed is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, notching 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions in the regular season before recording 17 tackles and three pass deflections in the postseason.

The Chiefs informed Sneed in February that if the two sides could not reach a long-term deal, the team would use their franchise tag on him. The move to tag him prevents him from becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, which would have been an opportunity to test his value around the league and potentially drive up his asking price to Kansas City.

Now Sneed will look to earn a long-term deal with the Chiefs as he enters his franchise tag season. If he doesn't get the long-term deal he's looking for, it could mean he weighs his options elsewhere in next year's free agency.

Of note, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in February that the Chiefs would be open to trading Sneed if the two sides couldn't reach a long-term deal.

The move to use their franchise tag on Sneed also means the Chiefs will have to win back defensive tackle Chris Jones in free agency. Jones, who had 30 tackles and 10 sacks in 2023, will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, and his asking price will likely be high.