Kansas City doesn’t win the Super Bowl without cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. He was one of the best NFL players in coverage this past season, routinely delivering his greatest performances against top wide receivers. While the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on him, that was just to keep him out of NFL free agency. With Jones under contract, there’s no reasonable path to keeping Sneed and his $19.8 million cap hit.
Fortunately, with Jaylon Johnson off the market, Sneed is the most in-demand cornerback this offseason. He’s already generating massive interest and the Chiefs have granted his agent permission to find him a long-term home. While it’s probably not the best idea for Kansas City to trade Sneed to another Super Bowl contender, there are other alternatives around the NFL.
Unless a team like the Detroit Lions or San Francisco 49ers is willing to offer a first-round pick, Kansas City will likely take the best Round 2 selection on the table. The Falcons want to win now and could pair Sneed with the signing of Kirk Cousins to become the best NFC South team in 2024.
Trading Sneed will immediately shave $19.802 million off the Chiefs’ books for the 2024 season, but that still isn’t enough for Jones’ new deal and some bargain finds in NFL free agency. Fortunately for Kansas City, it can restructure Mahomes’ contract and that alone creates $35.632 million in cap space. If you pair that with releasing safety Justin Reid, who played poorly last season, that’s another $10.75 million in cap room.
