The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of a dynastic run. They've made it to the Super Bowl four times in six seasons and have won three of those titles, including a championship in each of the last two seasons. However, in order to sustain this long-term dominance, the Chiefs have had to make some tough decisions. The biggest one was the decision to trade Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. That trade was a resounding success. They effectively turned Tyreek Hill into Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Darian Kinnard, Keondre Coburn, and a 2024 draft pick. That worked out big time. But the Chiefs might be in a position to have to trade another star player. This time with cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, potentially to a team like the Detroit Lions or Arizona Cardinals.

Sneed is maybe the most underrated player in all of football. He and the aforementioned McDuffie have formed one of the best cornerback tandems in the entire NFL, with Sneed often getting the assignment of the opposing team's number one receiver. That includes players like Ja'Marr Chase, who Sneed shut down when the two played in the 2023 regular season.

Sneed is a great player, but he wants to paid like one. As he should. He was slated to be a free agent, but the Chiefs franchise tagged him. However, the Chiefs also have to take care of All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones. Kansas City only has $9 million in cap space, which could make things more difficult regarding retaining Sneed and Jones. As a result, they have allowed Sneed and his representation to look for a trade with a team willing to pay him what he wants and deserves.

Sneed should have a plethora of potential suitors. Cornerback is one of the premier positions in today's NFL and he is one of the best at the position. Two teams, however, stand out as potential trade partners for the Chiefs: the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals.

Detroit Lions

L’Jarius Sneed in a Lions uniform

Anybody who watched the Detroit Lions' magnificent run to the NFC Championship would know that cornerback is perhaps the most glaring need on their roster. They still got to a very desirable location, but their cornerback room made the ride more bumpy than it needed to be. In the Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Rams, Puka Nacua lit the Lions' secondary up to the tune of 181 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions, one of which being a 50-yard touchdown bomb.

Mike Evans had a similar monster game against the Lions the next week. He went for 147 yards and a touchdown after catching eight of the 12 targets slung in his direction.

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This was a season-long issue for the Lions. They finished the season ranked 25th in EPA allowed per dropback. The Philadelphia Eagles were the only team to make the playoffs that ended the year lower in that metric than the Lions. They have to improve their pass defense in any way possible. Adding a star cornerback is a great way to do so.

Arizona Cardinals

A trade with the Arizona Cardinals might be the most realistic scenario for the Kansas City Chiefs and L'Jarius Sneed, for a couple of reasons. For one, the Cardinals also really need a star cornerback. They ended the 2023 season ranking 31st in EPA allowed per dropback. Only the Washington Commanders were worse in that metric. Remember how Sneed shut down Ja'Marr Chase in their 2023 matchup? Well, the Cardinals also played Chase in 2023; he 192 yards and three touchdowns after hauling in 15 of 19 targets thrown his direction.

The Cardinals also have plenty of picks and money at their disposal in the 2024 offseason. Arizona has over $51 million in cap space as well as 13 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Among those 13 picks, two of those are first-rounders and six are through the first three rounds. They can afford to throw enough draft picks to satisfy the Chiefs and pay Sneed what he wants. Keep an eye out on the Cardinals in the L'Jarius Sneed sweepstakes.