NFL Rumors: Chiefs have L’Jarius Sneed right where they want him

The contract saga between shutdown cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and the Kansas City Chiefs dragged out longer than expected, with no clear end in sight.

Kansas City placed the franchise tag on Sneed to secure his place on the roster for 2024 with a one-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $19.8 million. However, the two sides have continued discussing a long-term deal while exploring the possibility of a tag-and-trade scenario, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 

But why is it taking so long to agree on an extension or find a trade partner for one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, who is firmly in the prime of his career? Kansas City sports radio host Carrington Harrison suggests multiple factors are dragging this process out.

Harrison notes that no team has met their asking price of a second-round pick (which was previously reported by NFL Network’s Jeff Chadiha), adding that Sneed’s desire to become the league’s highest-paid cornerback has been “the major hold up” and the “concerning” medical history surrounding a knee issue that lingered throughout the 2023 season.

NFL Rumors: Chiefs hold all the leverage in L’Jarius Sneed negotiations

Sneed’s documented injury situation seems to be scaring teams away from giving up lofty draft capital to acquire him and then having to make a lucrative long-term financial commitment to him, which has put the stud defensive back in a position where he may have nowhere to go but Kansas City next season. Harrison mentions that the Chiefs are “fine” letting him play out the 2024 season on the tag next season, giving them all the leverage they need in negotiations.

With the Chiefs seeking to become the first team in league history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, they’d like to have their star corner in the mix and currently hold all the cards in the ongoing chronicle.