NFL Rumors: Biggest holdup in L’Jarius Sneed trade talks isn’t the Chiefs

One or the other. For some time, that has been the predominant belief as to what the Kansas City Chiefs would have to end up deciding between with their two star pending free agents, defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. So with Jones locked up to a new long-term deal and Sneed sitting with the franchise tag, it's been expected the corner will be on the move as a tag-and-trade candidate.

And yet, no deal has come to fruition yet. The Chiefs still have the rights to Sneed on the franchise tag, but have also started to fill out the roster beyond re-signing veterans, most recently landing a massive upgrade at wide receiver with Marquise Brown. However, that only raises questions about why Sneed, one of the NFL's best young corners, hasn't been traded yet.

There might be some clarity on the situation, though, and the holdup has nothing to do with the Chiefs' reluctance to move him. Rather, it has to do with Sneed and whichever team were to trade for him.

Sneed being traded on the franchise tag would all but necessitate his new team then signing the cornerback to a new long-term contract. And ESPN insider Stephen Holder noted that the current issue with a possible trade appears to be the contract negotiations with Sneed as a deal is proving hard to reach.

NFL Rumors: L'Jarius Sneed contract holding up Chiefs trade talks

In some capacity, this shouldn't be all that surprising. The one major risk to any team interested in a tag-and-trade candidate, especially one of Sneed's caliber, is that it not only requires sending the Chiefs (in this case) draft capital, but then ponying up a massive contract extension for the player. So teams like the Colts, as Holder mentioned, are having difficulty getting over the finish line with a trade because of that.

The effects of this could be quite fascinating, especially with the way that the league has moved without a Sneed trade happening. Interested teams such as the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers have all made moves at cornerback in the past week, which could seemingly take them out of the Sneed market.

And as Cam Marino of NFL Draft Buzz noted, that could be pushing us toward the possibility of Sneed actually staying in Kansas City in 2024 and playing on the franchise tag.

Would that mean there would still be a chance of Sneed re-signing to a long-term contract with the Chiefs? It's not impossible, but signing Brown in free agency does make it less likely just purely based on the finances of the situation. However, running it back with Sneed for 2024 with the chance for a Super Bowl three-peat on the line still sounds enticing for Kansas City.

Despite all of the action, though, the offseason is still young. Sneed could very well still be traded. But as of now, things are trending toward him sticking with the Chiefs this season with his next contract being an issue to any deal currently.