Trade details show Jaguars should've made stronger push for L'Jarius Sneed

The Tennessee Titans turned heads when they traded for L'Jarius Sneed. There were several teams interested in acquiring the two-time Super Bowl cornerback but his contract demands might've scared any potential suitors, including the Jacksonville Jaguars. Looking at the details of the deal, the Jags should regret they didn't make a stronger push to land Sneed.

Sneed reportedly wanted to be the highest-paid cornerback and the Kansas City Chiefs were asking a second-rounder for him. Had those been the final terms of the trade, it would've been cost-prohibitive for Jacksonville to acquire him.

However, Tennessee only had to give up a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder. Moreover, the Louisiana Tech Tiger got a four-year deal worth $76 million with $55 million guaranteed. His annual average of $19 million ranks fourth among NFL cornerbacks, below Jaire Alexander, Denzel Ward and Jalen Ramsey. That's a reasonable price for a player who didn't surrender a touchdown in 2023 and has given up less than 10 yards per reception the past two seasons.

All things considered, the Titans got a solid deal. They were one of the teams with the most cap space in free agency and they put it to good use, ensuring head coach Brian Callahan has enough playmakers to get his vision off the ground.

Meanwhile, cornerback remains a need for the Jaguars, having released Darious Williams before free agency in an effort to free up cap space. They reportedly considered trading for Sneed, but their interest seems to have been of the exploratory variety. In fact, Sneed was routinely linked to the Indianapolis Colts before Tennessee came out of nowhere and got a deal done.

The Jaguars should regret not trading for L'Jarius Sneed

Not only did the Jaguars pass on the chance to trade for L'Jarius Sneed, but they'll now have to face him twice a year. Maybe he adjusted his contract demands when he realized that it was a roadblock to getting a deal done. Similarly, the Chiefs probably changed their asking price when they saw that there weren't many suitors lining up for his services.

Once the price went down, Tennessee made a run for Sneed. The Jags could've easily made a bid too but opted not to. The silver lining is that Jacksonville is still in a great position to bolster their cornerback room. By not making a push for Sneed, they get to keep their first three picks in the draft.

With the 17th overall pick, the front office can easily target one of the top prospects. Conversely, they can take a wide receiver or a pass rusher and wait until the second round to select a cornerback. Either way, they have no shortage of options. This year's crop is stacked, so they can take several paths to address the position. Also, they'll save the money they would've otherwise had to use to pay Sneed.

In the end, it would've been great to see the Jacksonville Jaguars make an aggressive effort to land L'Jarius Sneed, based on the trade details. They didn't, but it shouldn't have an adverse effect on their offseason strategy.

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