‘For a player with a $76 million contract, L’Jarius Sneed is suddenly on shaky ground in Tennessee. Two years ago, the Chiefs let him walk away in free agency. The Titans welcomed him with big expectations and a whopping four-year contract. But now, the former Chiefs star may become a potential cap casualty for the Titans. With inconsistent performance and injuries, Tennessee faces a tough decision as the NFL salary cap picture becomes clearer.

Tennessee signed him on a four-year, $76.40 million contract. It included a $20 million signing bonus and $51.50 million in guaranteed amount. The deal also carried a cap hit of $20.06 million and a dead cap value of $8.12 million. Furthermore, NFL contract expert Joel Corry from Over the Cap recently placed the 29-year-old among his list of fifteen players who’ll face a release this season.

Sneed delivered three consecutive power-packed seasons with the Chiefs after his rookie year in 2020. But when their partnership ended, the Titans rewarded him big time in 2024. Arrowhead Addict’s Matt Conner recently reported that former Chiefs star is set to receive $7.5 million guaranteed on March 15. However, he believes general manager Mike Borgonzi will likely waive him before making the payment. 

When the Chiefs parted ways with Sneed, many fans strongly opposed the move because of his reputation as an aggressive cornerback. But that sentiment clearly didn’t age well, as the Titans’ gamble appears to be backfiring. On the field, his production has dipped. He hasn’t recorded more than 30 tackles in either of the last two seasons. It’s sharply down from his 2022 career-best count of 108 tackles.

During his two-year stint with Tennessee, he has made only twelve appearances. Even when he has been available, his performance has failed to match the standard that made him so valuable in Kansas City. For a player carrying such a large cap number, availability and impact have both fallen short. Off the field, Sneed is dealing with a civil lawsuit and legal trouble. It came after he failed to report a shooting that occurred in Dallas County, Texas, in December 2024.

According to ESPN’s Turron Davenport, the incident includes felony and misdemeanor charges. These issues make the former Chiefs star’s future with Tennessee bleaker than ever as the team receives a new NFL update on the cap space.

NFL salary cap set to top $300 million before 2026 season

Ahead of the 2026 season, NFL teams will see a significant boost of at least $22 million in their cap space. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has revealed that the league has projected the cap to range between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. It’s an increase from $279.2 million ‌last year. It will provide the team with more flexibility as they prepare to assess their roster before ‌free agency opens on March 11. 

If the cap lands near $304 million, the Titans are expected to lead the league with almost $100 million available in cap space, per Spotrac. Other teams that enjoy at least $55 million in space, such as the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, among others. The amount will offer sufficient room for roster upgrades, contract adjustments, and any dead-money issues.

Meanwhile, the NFL’s salary cap projection for this year would rise by $100 million from $208.2 million in 2022. Also, teams that are already exceeding the cap limit will need to make strategic moves to get under the new limit. These include the Dallas Cowboys, who could create $100 million in cap space this year. Over the past decade, the league has nearly doubled the cap of $155.27 million in 2016.

With the cap rising above $300 million for the first time, teams have more financial flexibility to bolster rosters. And these financial improvements will influence team strategies as they approach the 2026 season.