If there is one thing that is clear this offseason, it’s that the Chiefs are putting in the hard work to revamp their cornerback depth. The team traded Trent McDuffie to the Rams, and Jaylen Watson also moved to Los Angeles during free agency. As a result, the Chiefs traded up in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Mansoor Delane. They also signed Kader Kohou and Kaiir Elam in free agency. But that wasn’t all.

The Chiefs reporter for The Kansas City Star, Sam McDowell, reported the potential signing of L’Jarius Sneed on X.

“L’Jarius Sneed is signing with the Chiefs, a source told The Star. The Chiefs drafted Sneed in 2020 before trading him to the Titans after his career year in 2023.”

And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Sneed’s contract with the Chiefs will likely be a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, his agents, the Katz Brothers, said.

The Chiefs drafted Sneed in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was selected as a safety, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo endorsed a position change, moving him to cornerback. He has remained in that role ever since. Sneed steadily became an integral part of the Chiefs’ defense and earned a permanent starting role.

He helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls and played a key role in both. In Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sneed recorded seven combined tackles and made two pass deflections. He played an even bigger role in the next championship run during the 2023 season.

In the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sneed made five solo tackles and forced a fumble after punching out the pigskin on a Zay Flowers catch at the one-yard line. This prevented a touchdown and helped the Chiefs squeak out a 17–10 win. In the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory against the 49ers, he made three combined tackles and recorded a pass deflection.

After proving his mettle over the course of four seasons, the Chiefs placed a franchise tag on him in the 2024 offseason. Unable to reach a long-term extension, the Chiefs traded Sneed and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Titans immediately signed him to a lucrative four-year, $76 million contract extension.

But his time in Tennessee was far from fruitful. Sneed was expected to anchor the Titans’ secondary, but two years after his arrival, the trade is viewed by the Titans as a huge disappointment.

L’Jarius Sneed’s disappointing stint with the Titans never matched expectations

The Titans expected Sneed to be their No. 1 cornerback, and the money in his contract reflected that. Unfortunately, injuries became a consistent issue for Sneed during his two years with the Titans.

Sneed’s injury issues started almost immediately in his first season with the Titans. He had to be load-managed during his first training camp due to a preexisting knee condition. That season, he started only the first five games before suffering a season-ending quad tear.

In 2025, Sneed had an offseason knee clean-up surgery. This caused him to miss most of the offseason practices and start training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. He played sparingly in the first seven games before another quad injury took him out for the season yet again. So, in two seasons with the Titans, Sneed was only able to play 12 games total.

The Titans ultimately decided to cut their losses and released Sneed this past offseason on March 13. This saved Tennessee around $11 million in salary-cap space.

Now, Kansas City is getting back a player who was instrumental in two Super Bowl runs. His familiarity with Spagnuolo’s system should also ease the transition. The Chiefs are taking a low-risk chance on a player they, and the rest of the locker room, know well. Now, they just need to hope Sneed’s injury issues are a thing of the past.