The Tennessee Titans mortgaged a bit of their future when they traded for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed last offseason. Not only did the Titans give up a third-round pick in the process, but they gave him $44 million guaranteed on a four-year deal worth up to $76.4 million.
Unfortunately, Sneed played just five games for Tennessee last season after suffering an injury. He had zero interceptions or pass deflections in those five contests despite recording 10 interceptions and 40 passes defended in four years with the Chiefs.
Head coach Brian Callahan has grown increasingly frustrated with Sneed as he is yet to return to the Titans' offseason program after being placed on the injured reserve last November.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox released a list of the 10 worst contracts heading into the 2025 NFL season. Sneed's deal came in at No. 9.
"It was odd to see Tennessee immediately give a 27-year-old corner who had never been to a Pro Bowl a deal worth $19.1 million annually—which has him as the league's 11th-highest-paid cornerback a year later," Knox wrote. "If Sneed is unable to bounce back this season, Tennessee can cut him in 2026 and save $11.9 million in cap space, though it would have to eat $20.1 million in dead money to do so."
Callahan spoke about this matter on Tuesday when he addressed the media after the Titans' mandatory minicamp practice. He expressed his current view on Sneed and how he still has plenty to prove to the coaching staff in Tennessee.
"There's a track record of success as well from what he has been as a player. But he's also gotta prove that here too," Callahan said. "He hasn't done that yet for us. ... We're waiting for him to show us the player that he's been. He hasn't reached that level of play for us, so we're waiting for that opportunity to occur."
Sneed was a pivotal part of two Super Bowl runs for Kansas City, but if he cannot get back on track with the Titans, this will be another failed roster move made by former general manager Ran Carthon that new general manager Mike Borgonzi has to clean up.
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