Report: Chiefs prepare to franchise tag Sneed, explore trade possibility

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas City Chiefs have informed cornerback L’Jarius Sneed that the team is prepared to use the franchise tag on him.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Sneed and the team are expected to pursue a trade if the two sides are unable to reach a long-term agreement.

“Sneed is agreeable to the scenario, giving him (a) chance to talk with other teams while KC remains in play,” Fowler reported.

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Sneed was a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was a critical piece of the Chiefs’ vaunted defense during the 2023 season.

The franchise tag tender for cornerbacks under the 2024 salary cap would be $19.8 million for one season.

Despite being graded as one of the league’s best coverage cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus, Sneed was not named an All-Pro for the 2023 season. He was later named a Pro Bowl alternate.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach will have to come up with a deal for unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Chris Jones to keep the multi-time All-Pro in Kansas City for an attempt at the NFL’s first three-peat ever. Jones held out of all off-season events and the first game of the 2023 season before agreeing to return to Kansas City on an incentive-laden deal this past season.

On Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Veach said only having one franchise tag creates a heightened sense of urgency in negotiations.

“Certainly. That’s always a stress, you’d like to be able to tag all of the guys and pay all of the guys. It’s tough because the more you win, the more you’ve got to pay players, and obviously when you have this amount of success, you’re paying a lot of players a lot of money,” Veach said. “It’s equally as tough because you’re drafting late. There are challenges.

“We’ll go through them, and we’ll always put our best foot forward. Certainly, want to do what we can to try to keep both of those players (Jones and Sneed). That’s going to be our goal and intent.”

Veach said the Chiefs will address Jones and Sneed’s situations before working down the rest of the roster.

“Hopefully we’re able to figure something out,” Veach said, “but every free agency is different, unique and crazy. We do have one tag, and I anticipate probably using it to help us.”

In 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs traded defensive end Dee Ford to the San Franciso 49ers for a second-round pick after Ford was placed under the franchise tag.