Who won the L’Jarius Sneed trade? A closer look at the deal that remade KC’s secondary
Last March, the Kansas City Chiefs traded veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs received the Titans’ third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange. The teams also swapped seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft.
Sneed went on to sign a four-year, $76 million contract extension with the Titans, but he wasn’t exactly happy about the trade.
“I didn’t talk to them. I was upset,” Sneed said on the Pivot Podcast. “Kansas City, that’s like my first love. They showed me the ways, showed me how to be a champion, gave me two rings.
“I didn’t talk to them. I was bitter and angry because I wanted to stay in that environment around everybody I was used to. But it’s God’s plan.”
Sneed was coming off a career 2023 season with the Chiefs. He allowed no touchdowns during the regular season, finishing with 78 total tackles and two interceptions.
Sneed’s 2024 season wasn’t so rosy. He made 19 tackles and held opposing QBs to a 91.8 passer rating when targeted in coverage.
But he was able to play in just six games after injuring a quad. Then he was placed on injured reserve.
The Titans finished 3-14 this season, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Tennessee’s struggles also turned out to be a major boon for the Chiefs, as KC holds the Titans’ third-round pick — No. 66 overall.
That pick is valuable, especially for a perennial championship contender like the Chiefs, where cap space is tight.
On top of that, third-year cornerback Trent McDuffie has taken another step forward in Sneed’s absence. McDuffie finished the regular season with 59 total tackles, 13 deflections, one forced fumble and two interceptions in 16 games.
Now, the Chiefs are about to embark on their first postseason without Sneed since 2020.
They don’t yet know their opponent — the game will be either Jan. 18 or Jan. 19 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — but they do know that they’ll be playing host to the the lowest-seeded winner from this weekend’s AFC Wild Card round games.
