The Chiefs elected to place the franchise tag on star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, but gave him permission to seek a trade in the event both sides couldn't agree on a long-term extension.
If things don't work out, the Patriots could be the team to acquire him.
New England reportedly has looked into it, anyway, as "a person with direct knowledge" of the situation listed the Patriots among teams that have "expressed interest" in the 27-year-old. That doesn't mean they're making a major push, though.
The Patriots did inquire about Sneed, but that interest was described as the team doing "due diligence" on the player, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.
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It would certainly be nice to pair Sneed with Christian Gonzalez, but given the Patriots' needs at other positions, it never really seemed like a possibility. Kansas City is expected to fetch a second- or third-round pick in return if a trade does get done, and New England's placement at the top of each round would make departing with those picks a tad harder.
Sneed has been wonderful while helping lead the Chiefs to a pair of Super Bowls over the past two seasons, finishing with 186 tackles, five interceptions, 25 passes defended and 3.5 sacks.
In all likelihood, he'll be bringing that production somewhere other than New England.
Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports Images
