INDIANAPOLIS — Their first roster move this offseason, as back-to-back champions, is to use perhaps the most unpopular mechanism in the NFL’s collective-bargaining agreement: the franchise tag.
The Kansas City Chiefs have informed cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, one of the team’s best defenders, that they will use their franchise tag on him if they are unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal, according to league sources. The expected move will prevent Sneed from becoming a first-time unrestricted free agent, the opportunity for him to see what is his maximum earning potential as a 27-year-old cornerback who last season was the leading force for the Chiefs’ impressive secondary.
Sneed knows he’s the Chiefs’ most fascinating potential free agent. A former fourth-round pick, Sneed had the best season of his career. In the regular season, he finished with two interceptions, 14 pass breakups and didn’t allow a touchdown while in coverage. The Chiefs also know Sneed will be easier to retain — or trade away — by using the franchise tag on him rather than pass rusher Chris Jones, the team’s best defender.
“It’s certainly something that’s a possibility,” general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday at the NFL combine. “Chris Jones’ tag is enormous. We’ll work through that and we’ll try to see if we can get both these guys done.”
When the Chiefs place the franchise tag on Sneed, before the 3 p.m. CT March 5 deadline, he will be set to play the 2024 season on a one-year salary of $19.8 million — unless he and the team agree to an extension before the league’s July deadline for franchise-tagged players. The team could also trade Sneed ahead of the draft.
Veach and Chris Shea, the Chiefs’ vice president of football operations, met in person Tuesday afternoon with Sneed’s agent, Michael Huyghue.
Sneed has expressed several times in the past two years his desire to continue playing for the Chiefs. He wants a three- or four-year contract, according to a league source. If no deal is reached before the draft, the team is comfortable with consummating a trade, according to league sources. The Chiefs will also allow Sneed to communicate with teams interested in acquiring him. If Sneed is traded, he would expect to sign a multiyear deal with his new team.
Earlier this month, after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, Sneed appeared on “Up & Adams” with host Kay Adams, voicing a clear message for Veach.
“Man, pay me,” Sneed said, smiling, doing his best Rod Tidwell impression from the movie “Jerry Maguire.” Sneed repeated himself: “Pay me! Pay! Me!”
“Pay me. Pay. Me.”
L’Jarius Sneed’s message to Chiefs GM Brett Veach @jay__sneed @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/gO6h5tP6eH
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 15, 2024
In 2019, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Dee Ford, then traded him to the 49ers for a second-round pick. Once he arrived in San Francisco, Ford signed a five-year contract worth $85.5 million. If the Chiefs were to engage in advanced trade discussions for Sneed, they would seek at least a second-round pick.
The Chiefs could let Sneed go because of their success in identifying talented cornerbacks and selecting them in the draft. Without Sneed, the Chiefs would still have three starting-caliber players: Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson.
“You want to try to get it done within a framework of this whole stinking (salary) cap thing to where you can get it done,” coach Andy Reid said of Sneed. “But you have certain (cash) limits that you go to and still keep a team. That’s just the reality of it. It’s not whether you want to get rid of a guy here or there. You’d love to keep everybody.”
One issue for the Chiefs is that they used the franchise tag on Jones, 29, in 2020, a decision that led to a four-year contract extension. If the Chiefs — who entered Tuesday with $16.9 million available in salary-cap space, according to Over the Cap — tag Jones again, he would make a one-year salary of $32.16 million, the most expensive non-quarterback franchise tag in NFL history.
“Every offseason is a series of contingency plans,” Veach said. “Things typically never go exactly how you want. You have to prepare for the opportunities as if they will go exactly how you want. But at the same time, you have to be realistic.
“It’ll be great to get (deals with) Chris and LJ done. That’s our goal and intention, but we also know it’s not 100 percent. It might not even be 75 percent. It might be 50 percent. We’ll have a backup plan.”
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, L’JARIUS SNEED!!! pic.twitter.com/rHw8hcuUgG
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 28, 2024
During training camp last summer, Sneed told defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo he wanted to be the Chiefs’ shadow cornerback — the defender who covers the opponent’s best receiver — because he knew McDuffie, a second-year player, could excel as the nickel defender. Sneed was correct. As the nearest defender in coverage on 90 targets in the regular season, Sneed didn’t surrender a touchdown. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 27.7 percent of their passes with 10 or more air yards when targeting the receiver who was defended by Sneed, the lowest percentage in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.
Operating from the slot, McDuffie led the Chiefs with five forced fumbles, in addition to recording seven pass breakups, three sacks and nine quarterback hits. He led all defensive backs with 14 unblocked pressures.
“We’d love to have those guys back,” Reid said of Sneed and Jones, who led the Chiefs with 10 1/2 sacks. “I know Brett is doing what he needs to do to do that. (Team owner) Clark Hunt is doing what he needs to do to do that. All those guys have heard me talk about how it’s a team sport, and they know what we’re trying to get done.”
Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed (44.7%) and 49ers CB Charvarius Ward (41.8%) are 2 of 7 defenders to force tight windows on 40%+ of their 10+ air yard targets in 2023.
Thanks to their tight coverage, both allowed a bottom-5 completion percentage on such targets.#SuperBowlLVIII pic.twitter.com/uAjSw1AFUP
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 8, 2024
Last week, the NFL announced that its salary cap for next season was set at $255.4 million, an unprecedented $30.6 million increase for each franchise.
Veach explained that the NFL’s revenue led to him becoming more optimistic that the Chiefs could retain Sneed and Jones — and still be competitive in free agency.
By March 5, the Chiefs could have around $62 million in salary-cap space after a trio of moves. Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the most logical candidate to be a salary-cup cut. That decision would create $12 million in cap space with just $2 million in dead money, according to Over the Cap. The Chiefs could also convert a sizable amount of the roster bonus in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract into a signing bonus. The same could be done with left guard Joe Thuney’s contract.
“On one end, when you see that, you get super excited,” Veach said of the salary cap’s increase. “But then you always have to temper your expectations. Now, the next question is: Does it automatically guarantee there’ll be 6 percent growth next year? It won’t necessarily be $270 (million). It might be slower growth. You may get a lot this year, but then you get less in the next couple years.
“What it helps, at least this year, is for teams that have to utilize the (franchise) tag. Some teams may just assume (next year) will grow at a normal rate, but I tend to think it won’t. It’ll probably be scaled back to some degree. We just have to be on the conservative side so we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Required reading
(Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
