NFL expert names two players Kansas City could pay big instead of L’Jarius Sneed

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The curtain has been drawn on one of the hottest topics in the NFL. L’Jarius Sneed is now a Nashville resident.

Kansas City knew that for a while they were going to have to choose to pay Chris Jones or Sneed.

Ultimately, they chose to make Jones the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.

Chiefs refused to let Sneed go for free

Brett Veach cut the Chiefs’ losses by placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on the cornerback so they did not lose him for free.

If playing on the tag, Sneed swallowed up $19.8 million on the cap come the 2024 season.

Tennessee has made the defensive back one of the highest-paid in said position on a four-year deal.

It would have been the realization for a long time that Sneed had played his final game in Arrowhead.

Moreover, the Chiefs’ front office has to evaluate the cap space and carefully hand out new deals.

As a result, Sneed was disposed for draft capital, with the franchise’s future at the forefront of the decision.

‘Can’t pay everybody’

Chris Simms spoke on Pro Football Talk about the Chiefs-Titans trade. He picked out Trent McDuffie and Nick Bolton as two players who might end up getting paid instead.

The former NFL quarterback believes the Chiefs identified bigger priorities: “Ultimately, like how we talked about at the time, they can’t pay everybody.

“That’s the big problem, it’s Chris Jones, it’s Trent McDuffie’s awesome, they have to pay him, they got some young corners coming up the ranks that are damn good.

“Nick Bolton is one of the better middle linebackers in football, they are gonna want to keep him. They are paying a right tackle, who is one of the highest-paid right tackles in football.”

The problem teams will face is attempting to keep their best players on the roster but do not have the room to pay everybody.

The Chiefs have a growing wage bill

The Kansas City Chiefs are a victim of their own success.

They are outstanding at drafting explosive rookies who excel and need to be paid following the market.

Sometimes, there is no financial capacity to entertain a new deal that meets the player’s demands.

This is what has happened with Sneed.

Trent McDuffie is still on his rookie deal and is set to replace the ex-Chief as CB1.

If McDuffie continues on this trajectory he will need to be paid handsomely.

As Chris Simms alluded to, Nick Bolton will be looking for a big payday when his rookie contract expires.

Additionally, Patrick Mahomes is earning top-market money at quarterback.

Jawaan Taylor is also on the bill and is the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL.

The Chiefs front office are spinning plates and Sneed has been collateral damage in the process.