The Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans came together on Friday night for a blockbuster trade. Tennessee acquired star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed from the defending Super Bowl champions. The two teams exchanged 2024 seventh-round picks while Kansas City sent a 2025 third-round pick to the Titans.
Tennessee is set to sign their new star corner to a new contract, as well. Sneed is set to make $19 million over the next four years. Furthermore, the contract carries a total guarantee of $55 million. It's quite the payday for the now-former Chiefs star who received the franchise tag earlier in the offseason.
The dust is beginning to settle a bit on this deal. With that in mind, let's take a bit of a deep dive into this blockbuster move. Here are the grades for the Chiefs and Titans regarding the L'Jarius Sneed trade.
Titans trade for L'Jarius Sneed
The Titans have gone all out to improve their roster in the 2024 NFL offseason. Adding L'Jarius Sneed to the mix is the proverbial cherry on top. Sneed gives Tennessee a legitimate shutdown corner and a formidable 1-2 punch with fellow offseason pickup Chidobe Awuzie.
In terms of acquisition cost, the Titans certainly could have paid more. Sneed emerged as one of the best corners in the league in 2023. Furthermore, the former fourth-round pick is only 27 years old. And he doesn't have an extensive history of injuries, either. Tennessee should have Sneed playing at the highest level for a while.
As for the contract, there is some concern involved. Sneed emerged as a top corner last season. However, that break out is very recent. If he falters in Tennessee, paying the 27-year-old $19 million a year could be quite a tough pill to swallow. For now, though, it's a deserving contract.
Overall, the Titans didn't give up much here. General manager Ran Carthon picked up one of the best corners on the market for a relatively small cost. The extension could blow up in their face. That said, Tennessee wanted to lock in Sneed, and they did just that. It's hard to fault them for taking this gamble.
Chiefs trade L'Jarius Sneed
The Chiefs seemed likely to trade L'Jarius Sneed this offseason. Especially after their monster contract extension with defensive tackle Chris Jones. Other teams knew the position Kansas City was in, as well. As a result, it's hard to truly fault them for taking this deal.
Still, it's a bit of an underwhelming return. A third-round pick for a player who legitimately played like a top-five corner last season is a rather light return. And the seventh-round pick swap doesn't really make up for that. Fans certainly hoped the defending Super Bowl champions would have received a better return.
That said, there is a financial aspect of this for the Chiefs. This trade frees up $19.8 million in salary cap space. This allows Kansas City to pursue a replacement in NFL Free Agency if they choose to go that route. Otherwise, the two-time defending champions can look to the 2024 NFL Draft next month.
Overall, it's an underwhelming return for the Chiefs. But they may not have had a ton of leverage. A L'Jarius Sneed trade seemed likely from the moment the Jones extension was signed. As a result, other teams could hold out on Kansas City until the price dropped.
Grades and final thoughts
The Titans receive a fine grade for the L'Jarius Sneed trade. There is some concern with the contract given to the 27-year-old corner. However, the low acquisition cost makes the gamble worth it for Tennessee. For the Chiefs, they get an average grade. They free up nearly $20 million in cap space, but the overall return is rather underwhelming.
Tennessee Titans: A-
Kansas City Chiefs: C+
Follow Us
Subscribe