Report: Jaguars Among Teams to Express Interest in Chiefs' L'Jarius Sneed
There has been no shortage of NFL stars linked to the Jaguars this offseason.
With a week before free agency begins, the Jaguars have already been rumored to show interest in Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Haason Reddick, Minnesota Vikings pass-rusher Danielle Hunter, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans.
Well, add another name to the growing list: Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
According to USA Today's Tyler Dragon, the Jaguars are one of three AFC South teams to express interest in dealing for the Chiefs cornerback.
"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," Dragon said.
The Jaguars have an obvious need at cornerback, especially after releasing starting cornerback Darious Williams on Tuesday. The Jaguars already had a big need at cornerback before cutting ties with Williams, but it is understandably now the biggest hole on the roster considering the Jaguars don't have a starting slot cornerback or a second outside cornerback under contract.
"We’ve got to add to that group, I think Coach Nielsen [Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen] spoke on it, Coach Pederson [Head Coach Doug Pederson] probably spoke on it," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"Now, I’m speaking on it. It’s a group we need to address. We feel good about the group we have, we feel like we’ve got some good, young guys to work with. We’ve got some veterans in there, but we’re definitely going to look to add to that group.”
Sneed was franchise-tagged by the Chiefs this week, which carries a $19.8 million price tag. The Jaguars would have to continue to clear cap to take on Sneed's price, though they could do this via restructures, more cuts, or striking a long-term deal with Josh Allen to decrease his cap hit.
There is also the fact that it would cost draft capital to acquire Sneed, who most likely would require a second-round pick. Any team that trades for him will have to work on a long-term deal, too, meaning there are plenty of moving pieces surrounding a potential trade for the lockdown corner.
