Patriots

Sneed allowed only 51 completions on 100 passes thrown to receivers he was lined up with last season.

Most of the focus for the Patriots this offseason has revolved around the sizable task of reviving a woeful offense.

But with Jerod Mayo and de-facto GM Eliot Wolf reportedly in the market for “at least one elite defender,” it seems like New England might be looking to pair Christian Gonzalez with another star corner. 

On Tuesday night, USA Today’s Tyler Dragon reported that the Patriots are one of seven teams who have “expressed interest” in Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed. Dragon added that the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars have also checked in on Sneed.

Sneed, 27, has played a key role in the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl titles during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Sneed put together his best season in 2023 — deflecting 14 passes and registered 60 solo tackles, including five for loss. The Louisiana Tech product allowed only 51 completions on 100 passes thrown to receivers he was lined up with last season.

Kansas City placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the cornerback earlier this week, which allows Sneed to talk with other teams and potentially set the stage for a trade to a team willing to hand him a hefty new contract. 

The price to acquire Sneed might be steep if the Patriots are setting their sights on the corner. Not only would they have to shell out a new deal, but they’d also have to relinquish coveted draft capital just to pry him out of Kansas City.

The price to acquire Sneed might be steep if the Patriots are setting their sights on the corner. Not only would they have to shell out a new deal, but they’d also have to relinquish coveted draft capital just to pry him out of Kansas City.

Citing a source, Mark Daniels of MassLive reported Wednesday that the Patriots “did inquire about Sneed, but that interest was described as the team doing ‘due diligence’ on the player.”

It’s tempting to project a Patriots defense anchored by Sneed and Gonzalez at cornerback. But New England isn’t exactly in position to cough up a second or third-round pick at this stage of what might be a lengthy rebuild.

And even with J.C. Jackson cut and slot corner Myles Bryant set to hit free agency, New England already has two outside corners in place between Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones.

Sneed’s talent is evident, but the Patriots might already have a No. 1 corner in place with Gonzalez, who was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in September before missing most of the season with a shoulder injury.