Re-ranking the most likely L'Jarius Sneed trade destinations after free agency flurry
- L'Jarius Sneed was always a candidate to leave the Kansas City Chiefs in his free agency.
- Although he was slapped with the franchise tag, he is a prime candidate to still be traded.
- Of the seven teams with reported interest in dealing for him, how do they all stack up?
By John Buhler
2. New England Patriots have nearly $70 million in available cap space
We have seen the Evil Empire stripped down to the studs. If Jerod Mayo is given time, this thing could work out well for him. If not, well, then the New England Patriots will dissolve into what they were before Robert Kraft bought the team: A frozen bag of crap. All the while, New England is dripping in cap space. Although Mayo was a former linebacker, I could see him being quite interested in Sneed.
The Patriots dynasty was built around not just Tom Brady, but great defensive back play. Its versatility in the back end of its defense allowed for more creativity up front. New England also had great line play, but Bill Belichick's noted position group was always a driving force in whatever they did. As it would be with the Minnesota Vikings, Sneed could be a new team leader on a rebuilding franchise.
I think with the No. 3 overall pick, the Patriots could end up with whoever the Washington Commanders don't take between Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. If they wanted to move back and take a J.J. McCarthy or a Bo Nix, I could get behind that as well. That new quarterback will be the face of the franchise, while Sneed will be the new face of the defense. There are worse places than this.
This would be a long-term play, but New England can get him the biggest deal on a second contract.