The Kansas City Chiefs could seek a reunion with a player they traded away just two seasons ago.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Tennessee Titans are slated to release cornerback L’Jarius Sneed after he spent just two seasons with the team. The Chiefs, of course, traded Sneed to the Titans during the 2024 NFL offseason. His tenure in Tennessee has been about as bad as it can get, appearing in just 12 games after dealing with a number of nagging injury issues shrouded by mystery over the past two seasons.
The former fourth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech in the 2020 NFL Draft spent four seasons with Kansas City, establishing himself as a lockdown cornerback. During that span, he amassed 303 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, 40 passes defended, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. It wasn’t so long ago that Sneed was the team’s No. 1 cornerback.
The Chiefs obviously have some needs at the cornerback position after the departures of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Joshua Williams. They’ve added Kader Kohou to the mix, but adding a player like Sneed would be appealing for many reasons.
5 reasons why a L’Jarius Sneed reunion makes sense for the Chiefs in 2026
There are many reasons a reunion makes sense beyond sheer need. Let’s break it down:
Advertisement
Familiarity with managing his injuries:Â Sneed is still just 29 years old, and the Chiefs already have experience with what was a nagging knee issue during his time in Kansas City. They’re probably one of the few teams willing to give him a shot after his stint in Tennessee.
He won’t count against the compensatory pick formula:Â As a player released from his contract, Sneed will be a street free agent. As a result, he will not qualify for the compensatory pick formula and won’t cancel out any 2027 compensatory picks should he be signed by Kansas City.
He’s not going to command a big salary: He was signed to a 4-year, $76.4 million contract with the Titans. It’s entirely reasonable that he’d be playing on a league-minimum salary in 2026 as a prove-it style contract after the injury struggles in Tennessee.
He knows Steve Spagnuolo’s system: Sneed is a plug-and-play option at any of the Chiefs’ three cornerback spots. Even if he doesn’t carve out a role as a starter in Kansas City, he’s valuable as a depth piece with a lot of unknowns about the cornerback group as a whole.
His agents: In an offseason where the Chiefs signed four players represented by the same agency, it’s increasingly apparent that relationships like that matter in Kansas City. Sneed is represented by the Katz Bros. You might recall that their biggest client is Chiefs DT Chris Jones.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.