The Kansas City Chiefs came into the offseason with a couple of possible uses for the franchise tag as they faced free agency and an important spring of roster decisions ahead. Early on Tuesday, general manager Brett Veach stated they would most likely use it and it only took a few hours before rumors emerged that L'Jarius Sneed would be this year's recipient.
The Chiefs are facing the potential loss of two significant defensive free agents in 2024: cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Veach has stated his hopes to retain both players, and the use of the tag on Sneed at least gives Kansas City some control over one of them.
According to NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, Sneed will be the target of this year's tag. The bonus here for the Chiefs is that Sneed is "agreeable" to it and a possible trade involved.
#Chiefs have informed L’Jarius Sneed they are prepared to use the franchise tag and are open to consummate a trade off it if no long-term deal is reached, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 27, 2024
Sneed is agreeable to the scenario, giving him chance to talk with other teams while K.C. remains in play pic.twitter.com/JayTzcAW0Y
This is all very good news for the Chiefs because Sneed could try to play some hardball here and make things more difficult. After all, not every player is happy about receiving the franchise tag knowing it will keep him from hitting the open market with complete control for another year.
Last offseason, the Chiefs were also facing a financial showdown with Jones, who didn't want to enter a contract season without further security. Jones ended up frustrated and held out through the entire preseason. He finally returned in Week 2 of the regular season. The Chiefs agreed to a new one-year deal with him in the process that reserved the right to use the tag, so perhaps that's good news for the team that they feel they didn't need it for Jones instead.
As for Sneed, anything is possible here. The Chiefs have some time now to work out a long-term deal, but they also guarantee themselves at least something in return from another team in case Sneed is ready to walk. The good news is that Sneed is still being a team player even if it means the Chiefs are helping him find another team.