Why Bringing Back L’Jarius Sneed Is A Wise, Low-Cost Move For Chiefs

BusinessSportsMoneyWhy Bringing Back L’Jarius Sneed Is A Wise, Low-Cost Move For ChiefsByJeff Fedotin,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jeff Fedotin covers the Kansas City Chiefs and sports business.Follow AuthorJun 09, 2026, 08:00am EDTL'Jarius Sneed of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after a play during Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTo address a glaring need, the Kansas City Chiefs turned to a familiar face.They signed cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who started 54 games for them from 2020 to 2023, to a one-year contract worth up to $5 million.That means it’s an incentive-laden deal, which represents good value — even for a player with injury concerns. It’s a pittance compared to the four-year, $124 million and three-year, $51 million deals, respectively, that Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson — former teammates Sneed is now trying to replace — received from the Los Angeles Rams. While playing with Watson and McDuffie, Sneed won two Super Bowls.A physical, 6-1, 192-pound, lockdown cornerback, he regularly matched up against an offense’s No. 1 receiver in 2023, including limiting Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill during a much-ballyhooed matchup in Germany.“I followed him the whole game,” Sneed exclusively shared. “I was ready for it.”He was also playmaker.In that season’s AFC Championship Game, he made the game-changing play in the fourth quarter, forcing Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers to fumble in the end zone.MORE FOR YOUSneed played a major role in the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl championship campaigns, but is he still that player?Sneed’s Injury ConcernsSneed was such a good cornerback that the Tennessee Titans signed him to a four-year, $76 million contract after acquiring him in the trade with the Chiefs.But he only played 12 of a possible 34 games. A quadriceps injury not only necessitated surgery, b...