The Kansas City Chiefs drafted cornerback Trent McDuffie at No. 21 in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he almost instantly became one of the league’s best slot corners.
As a cornerstone piece of the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins and three-straight Super Bowl appearances, McDuffie became the only cornerback to register 25-plus passes defended, 15-plus quarterback hits, and 10-plus tackles for loss since 2022, according to NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno. In that span, McDuffie also leads all cornerbacks with 34 quarterback pressures and eight forced fumbles, per Next Gen Stats (via Holzman-Scareno).
For all of those reasons and more, the Chiefs couldn’t afford to keep McDuffie beyond his current rookie contract.
Kansas City traded the 25-year-old All-Pro to the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday. The Chiefs received the Rams’ 2026 first-round draft pick (No. 29), a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick in exchange for McDuffie. Now, the Rams reportedly plan to lock in McDuffie for the long-term.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “When Trent McDuffie gets his new contract, which should be soon, it’s likely that he’s the new highest-paid CB in the NFL at more than $30.1 million in new money. The #Rams, who acquired McDuffie and his $13.6 million salary in 2026, will see it as an entirely new contract.”
The Chiefs’ ability to extend McDuffie diminished significantly when they prioritized extending linebacker Nick Bolton and right guard Trey Smith last year.
Since last March, the Houston Texans handed All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. a three-year, $90 million extension. Stingley Jr.’s $30 million per year average became the starting point for negotiations with McDuffie. Indianapolis Colts All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner leads all cornerbacks with a $30.1 million per year average from his four-year, $120.4 million contract he signed with the New York Jets last July. (The Jets traded Gardner to the Colts at the Nov. 4 trade deadline.)
As for McDuffie, this trade serves as a homecoming in two ways. First, and most obviously, McDuffie is from Westminster, Calif., which is approximately 36 minutes away from where the Rams play at SoFi Stadium. McDuffie will also reunite with Jimmy Lake, who was recently promoted to Rams defensive backs coach. Lake was the University of Washington’s defensive coordinator and head coach during McDuffie’s time with the Huskies.
The NFL’s new league year and free agency period officially open on March 11 at 4 p.m. EST.
