Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says L’Jaruis Sneed is one of his ‘all-time favourite guys’ after the cornerback was traded to the Tennessee Titans.
Sneed played a crucial role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII-winning campaign last season, but the economics of the salary cap have seen a parting of the ways.
With both Sneed and fellow defensive lynchpin Chris Jones at the end of their previous contracts, the Chiefs gave Sneed permission to seek a trade at the end of February and would then place the franchise tag on him to ensure they did not lose him for nothing.
While Jones agreed a five-year, $95million contract extension with the team, Sneed has now been traded to the Titans for a 2025 third-round draft pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round selection. Sneed is expected to receive a new contract in Tennessee.
Reid has now addressed the exit of Sneed at the annual league meeting, telling Paul Kuharsky he was the 27-year-old’s ‘biggest fan’.
“[He is] one of my all-time favourite guys,” Reid said. “Great human being. As great a player as he is, he’s an even better human being. As tough as you can imagine. I’m his biggest fan.
“He was our lockdown guy. Every best receiver, he had the best receiver.”
Reid also admitted that Sneed’s exit came because of salary cap reasons.
"You juggle the salary cap, it’s ridiculous what you have to go through,” he added. “The players you can keep and the players you can’t keep. But we all loved him and that wasn’t the problem.”
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