NFL free agency is officially underway as the negotiating period has begun around the league — and Kansas City Chiefs fans were left to ponder a message from veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

“Respect it !” Sneed voiced on X as news started breaking within the NFL community.

Sneed’s agents were granted permission to explore a trade on February 28 after the DB was franchise-tagged earlier this offseason. Although no news of a trade has come about at this time, this cryptic comment definitely left followers wondering what’s next for the integral defender.

Sneed is not overly active on social media. His last post before this one was published on March 7. It read: “Still learning, still growing, still dreaming, still going 🦅!”

Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed Has Received Interest From ‘Multiple Teams’ via Trade
Back on March 5, USA Today insider Tyler Dragon reported that “multiple teams” are interested in Sneed via trade.

“As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs officially placed the franchise tag on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed,” Dragon recapped at the time. “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 media member detailed. “The person told USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.”

Similarly, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler called the Lions a “[team] to watch” for Sneed on March 3. He added that the Miami Dolphins are “worth keeping an eye on, too.”

Also on March 5, NFL insider Ari Meirov and Pro Football Focus analyst Sam Monson both agreed that the Lions made sense as a trade destination for Sneed, suggesting a trade proposal. Meirov included the Titans as a possibility as well.

If the Chiefs do not find a viable trade partner for Sneed, they can still sign him to a long-term extension or keep him on the franchise tag and pay him $19.8M fully guaranteed in 2024.

Chiefs Could Lean on Young CBs After Potential L’Jarius Sneed Trade
Part of the reason that Kansas City is allowing Sneed to shop himself is the young and proven cornerback depth on this roster.

Obviously, first rounder Trent McDuffie leads the way, but it’s easy to forget how important both Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams were to the two most recent Super Bowl runs. Now, are either of these players as dominant in coverage as Sneed? Of course not.

Having said that, this is a great foundational core that could continue to develop under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as time goes on.

For depth, the Chiefs also have two seventh-round selections that have shown promise — Nic Jones and Nazeeh Johnson — as well as undrafted prospect Ekow Boye-Doe. Johnson is set to return from a torn ACL in 2024, but they rest of the group has remained relatively healthy so far.

It’s currently unclear if Kansas City would consider bringing in a veteran CB after a Sneed trade. Of course, they could also go a different route entirely and continue getting younger on the back end.

With the NFL draft approaching in April, the Chiefs still have time to replace Sneed, should a trade emerge in the upcoming weeks or months.