As the NFL calendar plods along, we’re about to enter the most infamous and oxymoronic part of the offseason: the “legal tampering” period. With it also starts the height of smokescreen season, which will run rampant until the end of draft weekend. Right now every team is “interested” in everyone, up is down, right is left, and nothing is real.
So when the Twitter aggregators pick up steam on some offseason rumor, level-headed fans try not to get too hyped up about it. Others, like myself, can’t help it. Aggregated Twitter scuttlebutt may be the junk food of the sports world, but I’ve got little self-control, and junk food is delicious — especially when it involves the Minnesota Vikings and a fun, young player.
That story got picked up by Vikings Twitter, leading some to believe this was close to a done deal, but it’s clear that’s far from the case as of now. According to USA TODAY’s Tyler Dragon, the Vikings are poised to be one of seven suitors bidding for L’Jarius Sneed’s services as Kansas City shops the franchise-tagged player to the highest bidder.
“A person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports that the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Jacksonville Jaguars have expressed interest in the Chiefs’ corner,” Dragon reported. So, basically, all the teams that really need a starting corner are interested. Not exactly a surprising development.
However, Sneed is an exciting young talent who would give Minnesota a bonafide starting corner opposite Byron Murphy, so it makes sense that fans are excited. But what would the compensation and contract look like to bring Sneed into the fold? And is it worth it?
First, Sneed is a great player.
Sneed has built his career around his remarkable versatility, logging over 1,000 snaps on the outside and in the slot, respectively, over the past four seasons in Kansas City. And he didn’t just line up there; he excelled. He’s an elite slot defender, ranking third in the NFL in PFF grades over those four years. He also continued to improve as an outside defender after shifting outside more in ‘22 and ‘23, ranking 36th out of 89 outside corners over that span.
Sneed also has an exciting profile as a blitzer who should get Brian Flores salivating. Under Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Sneed has been the second-most blitz-happy corner in the league the past four seasons and has turned that workload into “seven sacks and 36 quarterback pressures — six more than any other player at the position,” according to PFF.
Scheme versatility? Toughness? Awesome blitzer? Ladies and gents, this guy sounds like a Brian Flores fever dream.
Now, the price tag.
The Chiefs franchise-tagged Sneed for a whopping $19.4 million. That’s a staggering number, and no amount of contractual jujitsu can alleviate that by pushing money into the future due to the tag. The Chiefs don’t appear interested in paying that, and Sneed is likely not interested in playing under that number without any long-term guarantees. That’s why the team has given Sneed and his agent permission to seek a trade elsewhere.
Most are projecting a long-term contract for Sneed with an annual salary that’s a bit more manageable, somewhere around $16 million per year. That’s also in addition to whatever draft capital Kansas City will ask for in a trade, speculated to be a Day 2 pick of some kind. That’s a massive investment in a player who’s still not quite an elite outside corner despite his continued growth.
That said, count me in. Sneed is awesome. I love his versatility and scrappy, junkyard-dog attitude. He’s a proven winner who’s continued to improve, and he’s just entering his prime.
While Minnesota may not be swimming in draft capital, it has plenty of cap space. After two seasons of underwhelming secondary play, I’d love to give Flores another genuine badass to work with. Minnesota’s defense desperately needs talent and experience, and Sneed brings both.
Turn this smoke into fire, please, Kwesi. Let’s build this defense like we mean it this time.
