Lions were apparently not in on L'Jarius Sneed all the way to the end

With help needed at cornerback needed badly, the idea of the Detroit Lions landing L'Jarius Sneed when it was clear the Kansas City Chiefs were open to trading him was obvious. And in a broad sense, very easy to endorse and get on board with. Reports pointed to Detroit being in the mix for a high-end cornerback, however obviously, with Sneed as a natural target.

But it was also going to be costly to get Sneed. Not necessarily in terms of draft picks, but mostly on the back end as Sneed sought a big contract he can rightly command. The Lions ultimately getting him, with some notable players lined up for contract extensions, was probably going to be unlikely. And there was plenty of competition.

After some reports on both ends, including the Chiefs apparently comfortable keeping Sneed on the franchise tag this year, he was traded to the Tennessee Titans on Friday night.

The Chiefs are reportedly getting a 2025 third-round pick, and a seventh-round pick swap this year is also involved in the deal. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the new contract Sneed is getting is four years, $76 million ($19 million per year) with $55 million guaranteed.

Lions were apparently not in on L'Jarius Sneed all the way to the end

At some point, perhaps not too far before acquiring Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions basically bowed completely out of the Sneed sweepstakes. By the time the situation with Cameron Sutton surfaced, it was probably too late to rekindle interest-if they even wanted to. The Chiefs ultimately worked things out with the Titans, after reports a trade agreement had fallen through.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Lions were not among the teams who "poked around" on Sneed over the last few weeks.

The idea of Sneed to the Lions was enticing, and on some level never totally out of the question. But there was surely a line drawn in regard to the contract they would give him, and if trade talks took place that was the sure-fire stopping point.

So it's not shocking to find out, based on Russini's report and the move to add Davis, the Lions were not in on Sneed all the way until he was traded.