The 2023 off-season has been a bit more chaotic than the others, with teams pulling off trades no one would have believed. Look at the Steelers, for example. Nonetheless, while there have been one too many big moves, the future of the Chiefs’ star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed remains in limbo, as the club, despite putting a non-exclusive franchise tag on him back in February, still hasn’t negotiated a contract extension with him.
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Both parties, however, have since agreed to a non-exclusive tag earlier this month, which Sneed might not be happy with — and his cryptic tweets are no help either, always leaving fans worried. Non-exclusive tags don’t completely assure that the player will stick around, as he still has the option to negotiate with another team. If he and his team of choosing agree to a deal, the Chiefs have the option to match it or they would get draft picks as compensation.
While this is going on, a few days ago Sneed posted a bowing deeply emoji which the fans interpreted as he is patiently waiting for his future, probably a contract extension. A few days later, the star cornerback once again shared a cryptic post, but this time writing, “Can’t stop what God has already blessed” with a soaring Eagle emoji. As soon as this post surfaced, the majority of fans were confirmed that they were losing Sneed to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The tweet above led to fans urging the Chiefs to ink a lucrative contract as soon as possible, while others weren’t at all shaken, noting that he should be ready to accept less pay if he wants to continue playing for the defending champions, as he the chance to become part of history by clinching a three-peat. At the same time, one fan noticed that Sneed uses the Eagle emoji too often and people should not read too much into the tweet. Take a look:
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It’s no secret that Sneed played a pivotal role in the Chiefs’ secondary, from aiding them to the victory in the AFC Championship against the Ravens. It can also be said with certainty that he will become a vital piece next season in Kansas City, but will have to agree to an extension he doesn’t like.
Is L’Jarius Sneed the Last Piece of the Chiefs’ Three-Peat Puzzle?
The Kansas City Chiefs won their consecutive Super Bowl last season, achieving something that hasn’t been done since 2005 when the Patriots lifted their consecutive Lombardy. This was the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs’ third Lombardy in six seasons and now they will be aiming for a three-peat, something that has eluded every franchise in the league. In order to achieve such a feat, The Chiefs will be hoping to maintain those same standards, which means retaining all the key pieces from last year’s title-winning roster.
Sneed was a vital part of that resilient Steve Spagnuolo‘s defense. While Chris Jones, who signed a 5-year $95 million extension, marshaled the troops near the line of scrimmage, Captain Sneed performed a similar role in that secondary. His valiant effort in making Zay Flowers fumble the ball just before the end zone was a game-changing moment in their victory over the Ravens in the AFC Championship.
However, the problem lies in his market valuation, which, according to Spotrac, is currently $16.3 million. The defending champions might not be able to give him the money he deserves as signing WR Marquise Brown has left them only $8.5 million in cap space and would need most of it to sign the upcoming draft class.
While he might be that missing piece in that quest for the three-peat, they are not short in the Corner department with Trent McDuffie to take over the mantle from L’Jarius Sneed, if it came to that. Besides him, they also have Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams, both ready for more snaps, and other CBs, Nick Jones and Ekow Boye-Doe, can provide solid coverage for them.
