With the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine taking place this week in Indianapolis, all 32 teams have representatives in town to take a look at this year’s draft prospects. Additionally, plenty of critical offseason discussions will take place.
It’s also a time for franchise tags to be applied, which is exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs are doing.
While the Chiefs continue to work toward a Chris Jones extension, the franchise tag will officially be placed on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed tomorrow, according to sources.
Kansas City Chiefs Placing Franchise Tag on L’Jarius Sneed
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported last week that the Chiefs placed a $19.8 million franchise tag on Sneed.
“BREAKING: The #Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on CB L’Jarius Sneed, sources tell Bleacher Report,” Schultz wrote. “Kansas City’s priority is to extend Chris Jones for now and they’ll see what happens with Sneed after.”
Before the recent announcement of the 2024 NFL salary cap, Sneed’s franchise tag amount was projected to slot in at $18.8 million. With the cap now coming in higher than expected, that number is listed at $19.8 million.
By using the franchise tag on Sneed, Kansas City maintains a few benefits. Firstly, Sneed isn’t allowed to enter free agency when the new league year begins on March 13.
Now that the tag has been applied, Sneed’s camp and the team have until mid-July to figure out a new deal before that $19.8 million figure is locked in. On the other hand, a long-term deal or trade seems more likely than Sneed playing out the season on the tag.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the team had informed Sneed they intended to place the tag on him — and if they couldn’t reach a long-term deal with him, they would be open to trading him to a new team.
Sneed is ranked as one of the top defensive free agents available this offseason, and several teams around the NFL are in desperate need of help at cornerback.
While the Philadelphia Eagles could certainly use more help in their secondary, Sneed will likely be out of their price range. The Detroit Lions make far more sense as a potential landing spot for Sneed.
Sneed is coming off a strong season as a key part of Kansas City’s Super Bowl 58 victory. He tallied 78 total tackles (60 solo), 14 pass breakups, five tackles for loss, and two interceptions across 16 appearances, all starts, in the regular season.
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Detroit had its most successful season in more than three decades this past year, reaching the NFC Championship, but could use some reinforcements at cornerback to build on its performance in 2024. It’s a position the Lions could certainly address in the NFL Draft, but they may have the salary cap space and potential assets to take on Sneed to improve their cornerback room.
Additionally, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said earlier this week that re-signing Jones is “at the top of the list” of the team’s offseason priorities, and The Athletic reports that there is “growing optimism” that they will be able to make that happen.
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