Kansas City remains one of the NFL’s premier contenders, built around a defense that has carried the franchise through multiple Super Bowl runs. The Chiefs’ cornerback room has turned over significantly since their last championship push, with depth and experience at the position flagged as a roster need heading into camp. Now, a familiar face may be returning to address it.
Adam Schefter reported that the Kansas City Chiefs are hosting free-agent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed for a visit, a potential reunion with the team he helped win two Super Bowls. Sneed, 27, spent his first four NFL seasons in Kansas City before being traded to Tennessee in 2024. If signed, he would slot into a Chiefs secondary that has leaned heavily on younger, lower-cost options opposite Trent McDuffie.
L’Jarius Sneed returns to Kansas City for a free-agent visit
The Chiefs selected Sneed in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, No. 138 overall, out of Louisiana Tech. He quickly developed into a full-time starter and a cornerstone of Steve Spagnuolo’s pressure-heavy scheme, contributing to three consecutive playoff runs and back-to-back Super Bowl victories in Kansas City. After the 2023 season, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Sneed and then traded him to the Tennessee Titans for a third-round pick and a swap of seventh-rounders, where he signed a four-year, $76 million extension.
His time in Tennessee did not go as planned. Over two seasons with the Titans, Sneed appeared in only 12 games, missed extended stretches due to injury, did not record an interception, and posted PFF coverage grades in the mid-30s and low-50s – allowing a passer rating reportedly above 130 in 2025. The Titans released him earlier this offseason, clearing approximately $11.4 million in cap space. An aggravated assault charge stemming from a December 2024 incident at a Dallas car dealership – later reduced to a misdemeanor and fully dismissed in May 2026 – contributed to Sneed’s prolonged stay on the free-agent market.
The reunion makes structural sense for Kansas City. McDuffie is entrenched as the Chiefs’ CB1, but the team has lacked a proven boundary corner with playoff experience alongside him. Sneed knows Spagnuolo’s system intimately, having executed it at a high level across three postseason runs. Much like Washington’s reunion with Preston Smith to shore up a defensive need, the Chiefs are betting familiarity could unlock Sneed’s best football again. Whether his decline in Tennessee reflects real erosion or a combination of injuries and poor scheme fit is the central question surrounding any potential deal.
This is a visit, not a signing. The next checkpoints are how Sneed’s physical, contract expectations, and off-field review land with the front office. If the medicals check out and the number is team-friendly, a deal could come quickly – and the Chiefs’ secondary picture changes in a hurry. Will Kansas City bring Sneed home?
