It has been an up and down week for Morris Claiborne.
Four days after his appeal of a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy was denied by the NFL, the former LSU star cornerback received some good news on Thursday.
The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to sign Claiborne to a one-year contract. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the deal could be worth up to $3 million.
The 29-year-old cornerback is coming two solid seasons with the New York Jets including a career-season in 2018 when he set career highs in tackles (57), interceptions (2) and passed defensed (14).
The former Fairpark High in Shreveport track and football star was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Claiborne would spend his first five seasons with Dallas but struggled with staying healthy as injuries derailed the better part of two seasons.
After earning All-Southeastern Conference honors as a sophomore, Claiborne would win the Jim Thorpe Award, given to nation’s best defensive back, named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-American as a junior in 2011.
LSU had not had another player receive the prestigious honor until safety Grant Delpit earned the distinction last season.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Claiborne had made free agent visits with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings but never came away with a contract in tow — until Thursday.
With signing with Kansas City, Claiborne will also be reunited with his former teammate at LSU — Tyrann Mathieu who signed with the Chiefs in the offseason.
In seven seasons in the NFL, Claiborne has started 73 of 77 games while recording 251 tackles, 7 interceptions and 49 passes defensed.