Chris Jones emphatically stated he is not eager to leave Kansas City. However, the Chiefs may need to wade into uncharted waters to keep their star defensive tackle off the market. Thanks to Jones being tagged in 2020, the price of a second tag would come in north of $32M. In the franchise tag’s 31-year history, only the Ravens (Lamar Jackson, $32.4M) have tagged a player in that neighborhood.
The tag would be a more logical option for the defending champions regarding L’Jarius Sneed. The cornerback tender price is expected to come in just above $18M. But the Chiefs have been rigid at the corner for most of Andy Reid‘s tenure. Sneed said during an appearance on Up & Adams that he wants the Chiefs to be the team that pays him, but when pressed by host Kay Adams, the four-year veteran doubted the team had the resources to re-sign both he and Jones (video link).
Sneed delivered a borderline-dominant contract year for the Chiefs, regularly covering No. 1 wide receivers and allowing just a 56.2 passer rating as the closest defender. To the surprise of many, this did not garner the former fourth-round pick an All-Pro nod or a Pro Bowl honor, but he has now started for two Super Bowl-winning teams and been a regular defender in three Super Bowls.
Sneed, 27, has also shown the ability to play in the slot. Although the slot corner market remains unpredictable, Sneed has proven himself on the perimeter and will be one of the top UFAs this year — if the Chiefs let him hit the market. Kansas City holds barely $15M in cap space before restructures and other maneuvers inflate that total. With cornerback being one of the game’s most valuable positions, the Louisiana Tech find is close to scoring a payday that tops what his former CB teammates received in free agency.
The Chiefs have methodically kept costs low at corner since Sean Smith‘s contract came off the books nearly 10 years ago. Kansas City traded Marcus Peters in 2018. Since then, starters Steven Nelson, Kendall Fuller and Charvarius Ward have scored their paydays with other teams. Ward, who earned an All-Pro honor in his second 49ers season, signed a three-year deal worth $40.5M. Spotrac expects Sneed to better that, projecting his second-contract AAV to surpass $16M. That is top-10 cornerback money. The Chiefs going from a rookie-deal-only protocol at the corner to authorizing such a pact will be asking a lot, given their success with this formula.
Jones has been far more critical for Kansas City’s Steve Spagnuolo-orchestrated defensive resurgence than Sneed. Still, a reality exists in which the back-to-back champions lose both defenders. Seventh-year GM Brett Veach will aim to avoid this, but the Chiefs have younger corners who can be kept on rookie deals through at least 2025. All-Pro Trent McDuffie would anchor a post-Sneed group, and and part-time contributors Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson — respectively obtained in the 2022 fourth and seventh rounds — have supplied competent work thus far. Pro Football Focus ranked all four of Kansas City’s regular corners in the top 45 this season.
While the prospect of a Sneed tag has been floated, the Bears being set to cuff Jaylon Johnson would only benefit the impact Chiefs defender. If/when Johnson is tagged, Sneed will likely be the top CB available. The Chiefs have until March 5 to decide on unholstering their tag.
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