Vikings on Trade Short List for Superstar Defender
Dustin Baker
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Soon, the Kansas City Chiefs could effectuate a L’Jarius Sneed trade.
The L’Jarius Sneed Trade Sweepstakes Could Include You Know Who
Sneed was scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, but Kansas City recently applied the franchise tag and could reportedly seek to trade the young cornerback. According to some, the Minnesota Vikings need some roster help at corner, and Vikings fans have sideways coveted Sneed since the offseason began.
Now, a path for Sneed to Minnesota is quasi-realistic. USA Today’s Tyler Dragon wrote Tuesday, “As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs officially placed the franchise tag on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed still has permission to seek a trade despite the designation. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports that the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars have expressed interest in the Chiefs corner. The person told USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.”
Of course, that list has more than one suitor, and Minnesota isn’t in the driver’s seat to secure Sneed’s services. But they are reportedly in the mix, so Vikings fans will monitor Sneed’s status intently.
These are the Vikings cornerbacks under contract in 2024:
CB1: Byron Murphy
CB2: Akayleb Evans
CB3: Mekhi Blackmon
CB4: Andrew Booth
CB5: NaJee Thompson
CB6: Jaylin Williams
CB7: A.J. Green III
It is unclear entering free agency next week if the Vikings trust that group or if they’ll add some veteran juice. The club could also spend draft capital on cornerback, though it has used oodles of picks at the position over the last decade. The Vikings’ top four cornerbacks are young; we shall see if the front office trusts the group in 2024.
On Sneed, he hasn’t banked Pro Bowl or All-Pro kudos yet but probably should have in 2023. He fired up an incredible 56.2 passer-rating-against last year while his team won the Super Bowl, too. He was a 4th-Rounder from the 2020 NFL Draft and turned 27 in January.
The trade pricetag? Probably a 2nd-Rounder and change. However, if a bidding war emerges, a late 1st-Rounder could be in play. Whichever team lands Sneed will likely have to pay Sneed around $20 million per season. His contract demands won’t be cheap.
Here’s his Pro Football Focus resume to date:
2020: 72.9
2021: 64.1
2022: 76.1
2023: 71.1
Dragon also mentioned about the Chiefs and Sneed, “Both sides have until mid-July to finalize a long-term extension or until the NFL’s trade deadline to part ways via trade.”
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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