Vikings linked to Super Bowl champion cornerback in recent report
By Adam Patrick
The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly one of multiple NFL teams that have "expressed interest" in acquiring current Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
In his first season as the team's defensive coordinator, Brian Flores was able to help the Minnesota Vikings make a lot of strides in the right direction.
Despite the unit's improvement under Flores in 2023, the Vikings know they still need to add more talent on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.
Some have suggested Minnesota could be in the market for a new starting cornerback this year, and according to a recent report, the team has already shown some interest in acquiring one of the top young corners in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings have "expressed interest" in adding Kansas City Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed
On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs made the decision to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
With the non-exclusive tag, Sneed is free to negotiate a new contract with any team in the NFL, but the Chiefs can match any offer that is presented to the veteran defensive back.
Kansas City can also choose not to match an offer that is made to Sneed, and if they did this, they would then receive two first-round draft picks from the team that ends up signing him.
Despite what seems like a steep price to pay for the talented cornerback, there has reportedly still been plenty of interest in him from multiple teams around the NFL, including the Vikings.
According to USA Today's Tyler Dragon on Tuesday, Minnesota is among a group of seven teams from around the league that have "expressed interest" in adding Sneed to their roster this offseason.
In addition to the Vikings, the group includes the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
It would be surprising if Minnesota continues to lure Sneed to the Twin Cities, especially since they would not only have to sign him to a lucrative new contract, but they would also have to give up multiple draft picks to acquire him.
If anything, this interest reveals that the Vikings are definitely interested in adding another starting cornerback to their roster this offseason.
Byron Murphy will likely remain one of Minnesota's starting corners for the 2024 campaign, but other than him, there don't seem to be any locks from the position group to emerge as a starter for next season.
Among the current cornerbacks the Vikings have on their roster, Mekhi Blackmon likely has the best chance of joining Murphy in the starting lineup for 2024. But Blackmon will only be entering his second year in the NFL, so Minnesota might prefer their other starting corner to have a bit more experience in the league.
So, will the Vikings end up landing Sneed this offseason or will they wind up adding a different veteran cornerback to their roster before the 2024 campaign kicks off?