L’Jarius Sneed Would Reportedly ‘Love to Play’ for Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are in the thick of their offseason, adding roster pieces and draft assets left and right, in an attempt to beef up the defensive side of the football and land their QB of the future next month. To assist defensive coordinator Brian Flores, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has signed DE Jonathan Greenard, LBs Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel, DL Jonah Williams and most recently, CB Shaq Griffin.

There’s still plenty of work to do, though, especially at cornerback… which happens to be the position of shutdown Kansas City Chiefs cover man, L’Jarius Sneed, the top available defensive back currently on the trade market. We’ve already seen reports on the Vikings checking in and possibly doing some light negotiations with the Chiefs, on what it would take to convince them to trade Sneed.

L’Jarius Sneed would love to be traded to the Minnesota Vikings

But in his most recent scoop session with Mackey & Judd (SKOR North), Darren “Doogie” Wolfson of KSTP mentioned that the feelings between the Vikings and Sneed a very much mutual. Not only is Minnesota interested in Sneed, he “would love to play for the Vikings” and Brian Flores, if Kwesi can find a deal that works.

“There hasn’t been any movement on L’Jarius Sneed, but I’m told, all things relatively equal, he wants to play for Brian Flores. Like L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs cornerback, would love to be here. We’re talking about the Vikings, looking at the possibility of moving up, they only have so much draft capital, it’s not the like the Chiefs are giving him away, so the Chiefs are looking for a pretty decent draft pick. Like, you’re not getting him for a sixth or seventh [round draft pick]. Maybe in the end you do, but right now, you’re not. But hey, you need to give him a monster, monster contract. There’s a lot of hurdles there. But I’m just telling you, you know bottom line, all things equal, L’Jarius Sneed would love to play for the Vikings.”

Darren Wolfson – Mackey & Judd Show (SKOR North)

L’Jarius Sneed has been mentioned in trade talks since the end of the 2023-24 season, when it became apparent that another contract with the Chiefs was unlikely. Brian Flores is widely considered a top DC around the league, coaching players like Josh Metellus, Cam Bynum and Danielle Hunter to career seasons in 2023-24, and the Vikings organization, as a whole, has been heralded by players as one of the best in the NFL to play for.

Can Vikings get a deal done with Chiefs?

If Kwesi could find a way to land Sneed, he would instantly become Minnesota’s CB1, pushing Byron Murphy Jr to CB2. Suddenly, a defense that gave up the 10th most passing yards in the NFL last season would have dudes like Shaq Griffin and Akayleb Evans battling for CB3. That would be one heck of a depth “problem” to have.

Related: Mel Kiper Has Vikings Drafting Franchise QB at No. 11; Iowa’s Cooper DeJean at No. 23

The Minnesota defense went through its fair share of struggles last season, but Flores wasn’t one of them. What the first-year Vikings DC did with essentially the same personnel as his predecessor, Ed Donatell, was nothing short of incredible. In 2024, Brian will have a group that he’s had a lot more say in putting together.

Sharing this sequence by L'Jarius Sneed against the #Colts for no reason…

Plays a part in 3 of the 4 plays to force a turnover on downs.

1st-and-10: Takes away MPJ to force the QB scramble
2nd-and-7: Open field tackle short of the sticks
4th-and-1: Ends on a strip-sack pic.twitter.com/0mS6rg11gy

— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) March 16, 2024

Per PFF, he allowed a 66.0 passer rating last season, which ranked 6th among cornerbacks in 2023. Sneed is currently playing under a franchise tag in Kansas City, which slots him in to make $19.8 million dollars this season. As Wolfson mentioned, Sneed is seeking a monster contract. Something that will top Jaire Alexander’s $21 million per year.

Making a trade happen with KC wouldn’t be easy, especially considering the Vikings do not currently own any 2nd or 3rd round picks in April’s draft. And if the reports, that a trade up in the draft is on the horizon, turn out to be true, any draft capital they could use for a Sneed trade would most likely go towards that.

Related: Vikings Schedule Private Pre-Draft Workout with JJ McCarthy in Ann Arbor

But until any of those things actually happen, we’ve learned to “never say never” when it comes to the NFL offseason. At the end of the day, the Minnesota Vikings are hunting for a lockdown cornerback. And L’Jarius Sneed is exactly that… and available.