NFL Rumors: L'Jarius Sneed could join fellow ex-Chiefs with surprise suitor

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions for the third time in the past five seasons. They beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win their fourth-ever Lombardi Trophy. Now they enter a huge offseason in which they try to build a roster to help them return to the big game and stand on the winner's stage again. But they face some big challenges.

Kansas City's defense helped carry the Chiefs throughout the season as their offense struggled. Now, they had the likes of defensive tackle Chris Jones and top cornerback L'Jarius Sneed entering free agency. The Chiefs managed to prevent Sneed from hitting the open market by placing the franchise tag on him. But there is the possibility that Sneed could be dealt to a new team that is willing to give him a lucrative contract extension if the Chiefs can't get close to a deal. Which teams would be interested?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ($) wrote a column with Dan Graziano about the buzz they've heard at the NFL Combine. Regarding Sneed, Fowler says that "multiple teams are believed to be in the mix" for a potential sign-and-trade. One team worth monitoring, per Fowler, are the Miami Dolphins.

"Cornerback was a popular position of discussion in Indy, most notably for the trade market. We know the Chiefs are working on a potential tag-and-trade with L'Jarius Sneed, and multiple teams are believed to be in the mix there," writes Fowler. The word out of Indy is that Detroit is pretty set on adding a high-end corner, so the Lions are one to watch. Miami is worth keeping an eye on, too."

Dolphins worth monitoring as potential L'Jarius Sneed sign-and-trade partner with Chiefs

This wouldn't be the first time that the Dolphins brought in a former Chiefs player and signed them to a contract extension. Back in the 2022 league year, the Dolphins sent five draft picks, including their 2022 first- and second-round picks, to the Chiefs for wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Immediately afterward, the Dolphins signed Hill to a four-year, $120 million contract extension.

Could the Dolphins make a deal with the Chiefs again for Sneed?

The Dolphins do have an opening on the cornerback depth chart after they released main-stay Xavien Howard. But as of this writing, they are way above the salary cap threshold ($28.9 million over). But as fans and media members alike all know, teams can find a way to get back under the threshold via creative ways and put them in position to acquire a top-tier player.

This past season, Sneed solidified himself as a top cornerback not only on the Chiefs but in the entire NFL. Sneed played in every single game for the Chiefs this season, where he recorded 80 tackles, 25 defensive stops, nine assisted tackles, 12 pass breakups, and two interceptions. In coverage, Sneed allowed 53 receptions for 545 yards and two touchdowns on 102 targets, per Pro Football Focus. Quarterbacks who targeted Sneed had a 66.0 passer rating.

Sneed is currently set to earn $19.8 million on the franchise tag this season. Spotrac has Sneed's market value at $16.3 million per year, with a projected four-year, $65.3 million contract, which would make him the 10th-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

Fowler also lists the Detroit Lions as a potential landing spot for Sneed. The Lions currently have over $54 million in cap space as of this writing.

First things first, we have to see if the Chiefs an Sneed can agree to terms on a contract extension. If not, then a trade could happen this offseason if a team is interested in paying him.