Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed reportedly receives permission to seek trade
The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly given cornerback L'Jarius Sneed permission to seek a trade, according to NFL Network.
This comes a day after general manager Brett Veach said that the tag was in play for either Sneed or defensive tackle Chris Jones, which the Chiefs could still elect to use on Sneed.
Tagged cornerbacks will be paid $19.8 million this season. Kansas City has until March 5 to decide whether to use the tag on a player. Free agency then opens a week later, with players and teams able to begin contract talks on March 11 and deals becoming official two days later.
"Certainly we want to do what we can to try to keep both those players and that's going to be our goal and intent," Veach told reporters at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. "Hopefully we're able to figure something out. But every free agency is different, unique and crazy. We do have one tag, and I anticipate probably using it to help us. But I think our goal is to try to get both those players done and then work down the rest of our roster."
The 27-year-old Sneed said he'd like Kansas City to show him the money after playing on the final year of his rookie deal. Since being drafted by the team in the fourth round out of Louisiana Tech in 2020, Sneed has been a consistent performer for the Chiefs.
In all four seasons he's played, Sneed has finished with at least two interceptions and seven passes defended. He finished 2023 with a career-high 14 passes defended, and the year before he set career marks in tackles (108), sacks (3.5) and matched his interception benchmark with three.
"Pay me," Sneed said on the "Up & Adams" show on Feb. 15. "Pay me, pay me. That's what I've got to say — pay me."
Sneed and Jones were the Chiefs' top two priorities as soon as the offseason hit, which for Kansas City came after its 25-22 overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII over the San Francisco 49ers.
If Kansas City decides to use the tag, the Chiefs and Sneed will have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If, at that point, they are unable to reach an agreement, then Sneed would have to play on the tag. If he doesn't sign the tag, Sneed won't be eligible to play for any other team.
Veach told reporters he didn't anticipate it reaching that point, as both Sneed and Jones indicated to him that they wanted to return to the Chiefs.
"If you get close in negotiations, I think you get the added benefit of the ties go to the Chiefs," Veach said. "It is a money deal at the end of the day, and people aren't going to turn down a huge discrepancy in contracts, but I think we get the benefit of breaking all ties."
