L’Jarius Sneed didn’t want to leave Kansas City, the hometown where he had won two Super Bowl rings. Life – and business – had other plans.
After using the franchise tag on Sneed, the Chiefs traded the physically strong cornerback to Tennessee in the offseason – in a cost-saving move as they prioritized other areas of the roster – in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round picks.
Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Titans, where he is a key building block in an offseason restructure in Tennessee.
In a recent episode of the Pivot podcast, Sneed said it was not his decision to leave KC.
“Yeah, man, I didn’t talk to them. I was upset, man,” he said. “I was upset, you know, Kansas City is like my first love. They showed me the way, showed me how to be a champion, gave me two rings. You know, I was bitter. I was angry because I wanted to stay in that environment, with all the people I was used to. But it’s God’s plan.”
The Chiefs drafted Sneed in the fourth round in 2020. Since then, he has developed into one of the most physical cornerbacks in the NFL and a player who can compete with any wideout. It wasn’t that KC didn’t believe in the Pro Bowl, but they prioritized spending elsewhere.
The club paid defensive tackle Chris Jones a fortune, made tight end Travis Kelce and kicker Harrison Butker the highest-paid players at their positions, brought back linebacker Drue Tranquill and edge Mike Dana, signed Hollywood Brown and spent money elsewhere to acquire a young player for the cornerback position.
Knowing why his former club moved on doesn’t make things any easier.
“Yeah, I miss them,” Sneed said of his former teammates. “I miss them, but you know, it’s like with an ex, your first love. Business comes first, you have to move on.”
As many players have discovered in the days surrounding the cuts, the business is brutal in many ways.
