Unfortunately for the Chiefs, two of their biggest defensive stars, Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed hit free agency in March. A franchise tag on Jones would cost the Chiefs north of $32 million. Spotrac.com projects Sneed earning a four-year, $65 million contract in free agency.
Even with the inflated salary cap for 2024, keeping both seems near impossible. “Jones is the team’s best player not named Patrick Mahomes, and his game-wrecking performance in the Super Bowl only underlined his value,” ESPN insider Dan Graziano wrote on February 19.
According to Graziano, prioritizing Jones shouldn’t be a huge surprise. Kansas City has “been preparing for [Sneed’s] potential exit for the past couple of years.”
With cornerback Trent McDuffie locked into his $13.9 million rookie contract for two more years, Graziano believes the Chiefs “may just let [Sneed] walk.”
is one of the league’s top corners and a key part of the Chiefs’ defense (nine pass breakups last season and 10 career interceptions), so he wouldn’t be easy to replace,” Graziano wrote. “But the Chiefs have drafted four cornerbacks in the past two drafts, including 2022 first-rounder Trent Mcduffie, who appears more than ready to take over as the No. 1 corner if Sneed leaves.
draft strategy has been preparing them for the possibility of this happening. Jones, who is the key to their pass rush and a top-five defender in the league, seems to be more difficult to replace than Sneed.
