Report: Five Teams Named with Interest in Trading for L'Jarius Sneed, With a Twist

At least five teams are reportedly in the running for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, and the specific teams open up a lot of possibilities for KC's potential return.

We already knew that Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed could be traded well before the 2024 NFL season, but with at least five teams now named as interested suitors for Sneed's services, the Chiefs seem to be getting good news in terms of Sneed's market. One inquiring team may even have a way to execute the biggest bombshell trade of the 2024 offseason.

On Tuesday's episode of Only Weird Games on KC Sports Network, I discussed Sneed's market with co-hosts Nate Taylor of The Athletic and Seth Keysor of The Chief in the North Newsletter, and Taylor brought some brand new information regarding the teams interested in Sneed. Taylor expounded on his reporting with The Athletic colleague Dianna Russini about Sneed's potential landing spots, and Taylor named five teams and left the door open for a sixth.

"As we know, the Detroit Lions are interested," Taylor began. "The Atlanta Falcons are lurking. The Indianapolis Colts are interested. The Vikings need help. And the New England Patriots might do something crazy."

Keysor asked about the market those five teams could create for the Chiefs, and Taylor explained why it's all good news for KC.

"This puts L'Jarius Sneed in a position where, either he agrees to a contract that's more team-friendly for the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Kansas City Chiefs get, I don't know, a second-round pick, or a third and a five, or a third and a sixth for the services of L'Jarius Sneed to another team."

Taylor had two more nuggets regarding Sneed during Tuesday's show, first noting that there is a sixth team that will "remain a mystery" and that they could return to the Sneed sweepstakes, but that the previous five were the ones he and Russini were comfortable naming with official interest. (I, much to my delight, asked if this means there are five teams and one "mystery team" interested in Sneed, which Taylor confirmed was a fair distinction.)

The next wrinkle from Taylor was the curveball.

"But... franchise tag for franchise tag..." Taylor said, sending us into a frenzy.

Of the teams mentioned previously, only the Colts and Patriots used tags, with the Colts franchise tagging wide receiver Michael Pittman and the Patriots transition tagging safety Kyle Dugger. This led to the show discussing Pittman as a potential fit with the Chiefs, but it's important to note that "franchise tag for franchise tag" is not on the same news level as Taylor's reporting on the teams who are interested in trading for Sneed.

"This is educated speculation based on reporting in and around the league," Taylor said, regarding the Pittman discussion.

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— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) March 6, 2024

What should we take away from these revelations? 

With Taylor's team-name reporting, we now know several things:

• There seems to be a legitimate market for Sneed, which is good news for Sneed's contract and the Chiefs' potential return. 
• These teams have picks that could be enough for KC to move Sneed.
  Even if Sneed won't bring back a first-rounder: Detroit has their own second-round pick (No. 61 overall) and two third-rounders. Atlanta has No. 43 overall and two thirds. New England has No. 34 (perhaps too rich for Sneed) and No. 68, high in the third. Minnesota has No. 42 overall but no third-rounders. Indianapolis has No. 46, No. 82, and, of course, Pittman.
• We should keep Pittman in the picture. "Educated speculation" leads me to think Pittman is at least a toss-up to stay in Indianapolis, and the Chiefs are in the market for a No. 1 receiver. Personally, I had largely removed Pittman from my radar after the Colts tagged him. Even in a league where player-for-player trades are rare, this is one that could make sense for all parties.

Trade, Extend, or Play It Out: What Should the Chiefs Do With L'Jarius Sneed?