L’Jarius Sneed, a Pro Bowl cornerback, is allegedly headed to the Tennessee Titans after the Detroit Lions expressed interest in a trade for him early in the free agency process.
A common desire among Detroit Lions supporters was to trade for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who the Chiefs had made it known was available for grabs.
There were even whispers that Sneed might be pursued by the Lions. That won’t be an option anymore because the Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans worked out a deal late on Friday night to acquire Sneed.
Prior to free agency, most people predicted at least a second-round pick in return, so those trade terms are lower than most projected values. Moreover, the average annual salary of $19 million is actually less than the $19.8 million one-year deal that Sneed signed on a franchise tag.
Sneed now ties for sixth place among NFL cornerbacks in terms of average annual salary, but leads in terms of total guarantees (assuming early reports are true).
Nevertheless, this is a huge contract for Sneed, with $55 million guaranteed over the course of four years. In contrast, Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears inked a nearly identical four-year, $76 million contract this offseason, with “just” $43.8 million guaranteed.
The Lions, however, improved their cornerback room with more understated changes.
The trade conditions that brought Sneed to the Titans are comparable to those that landed Davis, although the Lions acquired Davis with only a one-year, $14.5 million contract that has since been reworked to reduce the cap charge in 2024.
The Lions also re-signed Emmanuel Moseley and signed free agent Amik Robertson in addition to that transaction. However, given Cameron Sutton’s abrupt release following a reported domestic assault incident, the Lions might still be looking to add to their cornerback corps.
