This offseason, the Super Bowl-winning head coach lost one of his top players.
After being traded to the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid called L’Jaruis Sneed one of his ‘all-time favourite people’.
Sneed was a key player in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory last season, but the pay cap has forced them to split ways.
With both Sneed and fellow defensive stalwart Chris Jones nearing the conclusion of their previous contracts, the Chiefs offered Sneed permission to seek a trade at the end of February and then placed the franchise tag on him to guarantee he did not go for nothing.
While Jones agreed to a five-year, $95 million deal extension, Sneed has been moved to the Titans in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick and a 2024 seventh-round selection. Sneed is likely to get a new deal in Tennessee.
Reid addressed Sneed’s leaving duringg the annual league convention, telling Paul Kuharsky that he was the 27-year-old’s ‘greatest admirer’.
“[He is] one of my all-time favourite guys,” he stated. “A wonderful human being. He’s an excellent athlete, but he’s also a wonderful person. As challenging as you could think. I am his biggest admirer.
“He was the lockdown man. Every top receiver, he had the finest receiver.
Reid also revealed that Sneed’s departure was due to salary cap considerations.
“You juggle the salary cap, it’s ridiculous what you have to go through,” he said. “The players you can and cannot keep. But we all adored him, so it wasn’t an issue.”
