L'Jarius Sneed Signs One-Year Deal with Chiefs, Completing KC Reunion

Six years after being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 NFL Draft and two years after being traded to the Tennessee Titans, L'Jarius Sneed is a Chief once again.

On Monday, Sneed reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million to return to Kansas City, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The language in Schefter's report implies that Sneed will have incentives in his contract that could earn him a considerable payday, but his guarantees and 2026 salary cap hits should be expected to come in much lower than his $5 million ceiling.

During his two seasons in Tennessee, Sneed played in just 12 total games while battling through injury. The Titans released Sneed this offseason to save more than $11 million in salary cap space.

What does L'Jarius Sneed's return mean for the Chiefs?

Sneed's addition is certainly noteworthy, but not necessarily game-changing for the 2026 Chiefs.

Sneed joins a cornerback room with plenty of unknowns, but not a lack of talent. As I wrote on Chiefs On SI yesterday, Sneed's signing creates some questions for Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton, but it shouldn't impact rookie Mansoor Delane. After being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, there's no excuse for Delane to have anything but a starting role when the season begins.

Williams, a third-round pick in 2025, is entering his second season after a promising rookie campaign. Fulton is in the second year of his two-year, $20 million contract with Kansas City after a disappointing 2025 season.

The Chiefs' best-case scenario still looks like a starting duo of Delane and Williams, allowing the young, cost-controlled players to hold their roles throughout their rookie contracts. However, Fulton could reasonably win the job in 2026 if he can stay healthy during training camp.

The Chiefs should also already be hosting a solid competition at the slot cornerback position, with Christian Roland-Wallace, Kader Kohou and rookie Jadon Canaday battling for nickel snaps.

After losing Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook this offseason, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo should certainly be happy to have Sneed back in the building as a veteran presence. Sneed has played more snaps for Spagnuolo than the rest of the cornerback room combined. Still, Sneed can't be guaranteed a role at this point in his career until his health can be trusted.

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