Chiefs use nonexclusive franchise tag on CB L’Jarius Sneed،
The Kansas City Chiefs officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback L'Jarius Sneed on Monday.
The non-exclusive tag allows Sneed to talk to other teams, who could then complete a trade with the Chiefs. A source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler last week that the Chiefs had informed Sneed that they were preparing to put a tag on him and were willing to make a trade.
Pending approval from the league, a new contract for Sneed could be reached in a trade that would take effect at the start of the new league year, which begins next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. The source stressed to Fowler that a trade was on the table.
If Sneed played the 2024 season with the franchise tag, his salary would be $19.8 million, fully guaranteed.
The deadline for teams to use the franchise tag on pending free agents is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
General manager Brett Veach said before the Super Bowl that the Chiefs hoped to retain their top two potential free agents, Sneed and defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Jones, who was entering the final year of his current contract last season, waited out an upgraded contract during training camp and missed the first regular-season game. But the parties did not reach an agreement on an extension.
The Chiefs gave Jones incentives for the final year of the existing contract, and he ended up playing the rest of the season and tied for the team lead with 10.5 sacks.
The Chiefs freed up about $12 million in salary cap space last week by releasing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. OverTheCap.com has the Chiefs with about $3.5 million in salary cap space after identifying Sneed.
In 2023, Sneed had, in many ways, his best season since joining the Chiefs as a fourth-round pick in 2020. Sneed covered the opponent's best receiver on at least 65% of snaps , a league-high seven times. regular season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats data.
Only once did one of these receivers catch more than two passes. Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders had five catches for 73 yards on seven targets against Sneed in a Week 12 game.
Sneed, 27, didn't allow a touchdown as the closest defender in coverage all season until the Chiefs' Divisional Round playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills.
In the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sneed lined up 21 times against Zay Flowers. Sneed allowed a 54-yard catch, but later in the game he made one of the most important plays of the game when he punched Flowers' ball just short of crossing the goal line. The Chiefs recovered the fumble in the end zone.
In 57 regular season games, Sneed has 10 interceptions and 40 passes defended. He has one interception and seven passes defensed in 13 playoff games.
