L’Jarius Sneed admitted he was “bitter” about being traded away from the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs, despite Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid wanting the cornerback to remain at the Arrowhead Stadium.
Sneed claimed two NFL rings in Missouri but has now taken his talents to the Tennessee Titans where he bids to make a name for himself out of the shadow of Mahomes and Travis Kelce‘s legacy.
But it seemed as though he didn’t really want to leave as he described himself as “bitter” at being told to pack up his belongings and head for new pastures, despite being a core part of the Chiefs‘ defense.
“I didn’t talk to them [Mahomes and Reid], I was bitter,” Sneed said of his departure from the Chiefs to The Pivot Podcast. “Kansas City was like my first love.
“They showed me the ways, showed me how to be a champion and gave me two rings.”
Sneed impressed in the 2023 NFL season, allowing just 42 receptions on 80 targets (52.5%) for 406 receiving yards without a touchdown through 16 games as the Chiefs went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII.
So it was obvious why the Titans were keen to offer him a four-year $76m deal to move to the Nissan Stadium just days after sending draft picks to Andy Reid‘s team. In exchange, the Chiefs created around $20m of salary cap space which is why they didn’t fight harder to keep Sneed.
Who do the Titans play first?
Whilst the Chiefs might be +550 favorites to become triple Super Bowl champions as per FanDuel Sportsbook, it is a different picture for the Tennessee Titans who finished with a 6-11 record and last in the AFC South.
But with Sneed on board, they will hope to give themselves a better platform to grind out wins and take some pressure off their offense and they will do so against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 on Sunday, September 8.
The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports and will commence at 18:00 ET/15:00 PT.