Despite Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed coming off of one of his best NFL seasons, Sportskeeda NFL insider Tony Pauline revealed a concerning factor that could slow down Sneed’s trade opportunities this offseason.
“I've been told by multiple sources that Sneed has been dealing with a knee injury that kept him from practicing for long periods last season,” Pauline wrote on March 2. “This kind of medical issue will definitely raise concerns for any team interested in hiring Sneed with a high-paying contract. Any trade will surely rely on an evaluation of the injury.”
Despite the ongoing knee injury, which didn’t seem to affect his performance during the 2023 season, Pauline mentioned the Atlanta Falcons “still have an interest in pursuing the cornerback.”
Timeline for L’Jarius Sneed’s Knee Injury
Sneed’s knee injury first surfaced in the week leading up to the 2023 Super Bowl. He appeared on the injury report as a limited participant due to the injury, yet played in the Super Bowl without restrictions.
During the 2023 offseason, he was kept out of mandatory minicamp due to knee swelling. Although the team stated at that time he would be ready for training camp — which he was — Sneed was sidelined early in training camp and didn’t return until the 2023 regular season.
Sneed played in every regular season game except for the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers (he was inactive for that game to gain some rest in preparation for the playoffs). He also played in every postseason game for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
During the 2023 season, Sneed was tasked with covering some of the NFL’s top receivers and succeeded in doing so. He limited Tyreek Hill (8-62 in Week 9, 5-62-1 in the AFC Wild-Card Round), Justin Jefferson (3-28 in Week 5), A.J. Brown (1-8 in Week 10), and Brandon Aiyuk (3-49 in the 2024 Super Bowl) during their respective matchups.
Steelers Have Interest in L’Jarius Sneed: Report
According to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now, the Pittsburgh Steelers have expressed interest in acquiring Sneed. Farabaugh also confirmed the report by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini that Kansas City’s asking price for Sneed is a second-round pick.
As it stands, the Chiefs, who placed the franchise tag on Sneed on February 28, per The Score’s Jordan Schultz, have until July 11 to agree to a long-term deal with Sneed. If the two parties can’t agree on a deal, then Sneed can either sign his franchise tag — which would pay him a guaranteed $19.8 million for the 2024 season — or explore his trade market, with the latter being the more likely option.
According to Spotrac’s estimated market value, Sneed is worth a contract that pays him $65.3 million over three years, which is an average annual value (AAV) of $16.3 million.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, discussed the Chiefs potentially trading Sneed.
“Trading L’Jarius Sneed would hurt, but the Chiefs have shown they can replace a stud corner (Ward -> McDuffie). They are great at drafting corners,” Adam Best of Arrowhead Addict wrote. “However, having two lockdown corners is what made their defense special last season. Hopefully, they resolve this issue.”
“I think the chiefs will trade Sneed to the highest bidder, probably getting a 2nd round pick and a 5th round pick,” another user wrote. “He is a great player but I don't think the Chiefs will give him a long-term contract when Veach drafts DB’s so well and has spent a lot of draft capital on that position.”