This is shaping up to be a very busy offseason for L'Jarius Sneed—and not in a good way. The Tennessee Titans cornerback faces an uncertain future on the field and legal hurdles off of it. Taken together, however, it's safe to wonder if a reunion awaits Sneed when all is said and done.
Sneed is currently two years into a four-year contract negotiated with the Titans following a trade to Nashville by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. The Chiefs secured a third-round pick from Tennessee in exchange for Sneed, who had received the franchise tag by K.C. general manager Brett Veach. That allowed the Chiefs some level of control over Sneed's future, and the Titans, at the time, were happy to pay for Sneed's services.
The Titans' hope is that Sneed would help to reinvent a soft secondary that needed the sort of lockdown presence he'd provided the Chiefs pass defense during championship runs during his four seasons with the team. However, Sneed had health issues from the outset and things only spiraled out of control from there.
To date, Sneed has played in an average of 6 games per season for the Titans after dealing with quad and knee injuries that limited him for long stretches in both 2024 and 2025. Even when on the field, however, Sneed's presence wouldn't be described as incredibly impactful. Instead, the Titans have lived with buyer's remorse for most of the marriage.
A low-risk reunion for L’Jarius Sneed and the Chiefs could be in the cards this offseason.
To make matters worse, Sneed's legal headaches make him a PR concern as well. Sneed is due to appear in court on February 18 for a pre-trial meeting related to a misdemeanor charge dating back to November alleging that Sneed failed to report a felony. Sneed was allegedly driving a vehicle involved in a shooting outside of a luxury car dealership in 2024. A civil suit linked to Sneed has been filed as welll.
Even if the decision to acquire Sneed was soured only by two injury-plagued seasons, it would be enough to warrant his release before the new league year begins in early March. However, with the legal issues hanging overhead, amplified by the fact that general manager Mike Borgonzi inherited this situation from his predecessor, Sneed is good as gone in Nashville.
Despite the distractions and injury concerns, Sneed has every reason to pursue another year in the NFL in 2026. He's damaged goods at this point, so his only offers will be one-year deals at a steep discount from what the Titans have shelled out over the last 24 months. But his track record is also worth a flyer for a team looking for a potentially impactful contributor trying to course correct.
Enter the Chiefs organization once again, a team that's already very familiar with what Sneed can do. Jaylen Watson is set to hit free agency. Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson are as well. Trent McDuffie is either going to be locked up with a long-term extension or traded for draft assets. Kristian Fulton was a likely cut candidate until a late-season portal to more playing time allowed him to show what he could do.
That sort of uncertainty in the secondary could make Sneed an interesting target. The Chiefs have Nohl Williams on the outside as a starter. Fulton feels like he might stick around. Kevin Knowles can play inside, but it'd be irresponsible for Veach to go into 2026 with that as a projected core. It wouldn't surprise anyone to see McDuffie extended or even Watson re-signed. But again, nothing is set.
It's possible the Chiefs sign one player and draft another, which could bring an opportunity to Sneed to sign as a cheap rebound and rehabilitate his career with the team that drafted him in the first place. The Titans haven't even released him yet, but once set free, it's easy to connect the dots. Perhaps he's finished as an on-field product, but if Sneed has more left in the tank, it's a worthwhile idea that comes with little risk and cost.