The Kansas City Chiefs are among the NFL’s most popular teams, having clinched three of the last five Super Bowls, including back-to-back victories, and they are now aiming to be the first team to win three consecutive championships. This consistent success naturally attracts significant positive attention and a growing fan base, with Kansas City leading recent years in wins.
Last season, the Chiefs’ fan base expanded even further thanks to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with 14-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift. Her devoted followers, known as Swifties, began supporting the Chiefs, boosting both the team’s and the NFL’s revenue through increased viewership.
However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm about the team.
Earlier in the offseason, the Chiefs dealt former fourth-round pick L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick swap. The trade was driven by Kansas City’s decision not to meet Sneed’s financial demands. In a recent interview on “The Pivot” podcast, Sneed disclosed that the trade left him feeling quite bitter.
Yeah. Man, I didn’t talk to them. I was upset. Man, I was upset. Kansas [City], you know, that’s like my first love. So many ways, it showed me how to be a champion. Gave me two rings. And, you know, it’s just [that] I was bitter, you know, I was angry because I wanted to stay. And that environment around everybody I was used to. But, you know, it’s God’s plan.
Instead of signing Sneed to an extension, the Chiefs have given massive contracts to Chris Jones (last season) and Creed Humphry.
Shortly after being traded to the Titans, Sneed received a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension, with $44 million guaranteed. His average annual salary of $19.1 million ranks as the ninth highest among NFL cornerbacks, a figure the Chiefs were neither able nor willing to match.
Kansas City’s decision is understandable. Although Sneed was a key player in their defense and significantly contributed to their last two Super Bowl victories, the Chiefs have built their success on making difficult, sometimes unpopular choices.
For instance, the team chose to trade All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill rather than granting him a substantial extension. Despite Hill earning $30 million annually with the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs have continued their winning ways.
As previously noted, the Chiefs have managed to keep winning despite making tough choices about which players to retain. Fans will need to hope that their remaining defensive backs can bring the same level of intimidation to opposing wide receivers that Sneed once did.
Earlier this summer, Chiefs safety Justin Reid described Sneed as a bully, noting, He’s a straight-up bully. Reid recalled a particular instance of Sneed’s physical dominance: Aside from the Tyreek one? I mean, we were playing the Jets, and Garrett Wilson didn’t even get off the line of scrimmage. Sneed quick-jammed him, pushing him into the defensive line. Wilson didn’t gain a single yard and ended up on the ground.
With Sneed gone, Trent McDuffie will step up as the Chiefs’ leading cornerback, responsible for covering the top wide receivers of opposing teams. As an All-Pro himself, McDuffie might have surpassed Sneed on the depth chart anyway, but Kansas City will still need someone to bring the same aggressive edge that Sneed provided.
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