All eyes are on how the Kansas City Chiefs will bounce back from an unexpected 6-11 season, which landed them the No. 9 overall pick in April’s 2026 NFL Draft. As indicated by the 6-11 record, the Chiefs’ roster needs revamping, and Kansas City has begun making difficult cuts to get into a more favorable salary cap situation before free agency officially begins next week.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranks Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook among the top 25 impending free agents (linebacker Leo Chenal came in at No. 41). Not to mention, two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL and LCL, and the Chiefs await All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce retirement decision.
With all that going on, the status of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is flying under the radar.
The Chiefs traded up to draft McDuffie at No. 21 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he has rewarded them in spades. McDuffie, 25, was crucial to the defense that led the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 2022 and 2023. He earned First Team All-Pro honors as a dominant slot corner in 2023 and was named to Second Team All-Pro as an outside corner in 2024.
The distinction between outside and slot corner might determine McDuffie’s future in Kansas City.
ESPN’s Nate Taylor reported throughout last season that McDuffie preferred to play outside corner despite his top-tier abilities in the slot. If McDuffie wants to exclusively play outside corner, the Chiefs likely won’t be able to afford extending him long-term. The Athletic’s Jesse Newell expects McDuffie to come in “somewhere in the $30-million-a-year range” due to the cornerback market. The Chiefs picked up McDuffie’s fifth-year option last April.
“The Chiefs realized that they probably should have signed Trent McDuffie last year,” Taylor said on KC Sports Network’s Only Weird Games last week. “Right now, I’d say it’s a 40% that he will get traded. Now, that still means there’s a 60% chance, based on my estimation and my evaluation of everything, that Trent McDuffie will still be on the roster for 2026. You still have the fifth-year option. You still have all these things at your disposal. But, if you were to maximize his asset on the market, this would be the time to trade him.”
If the Chiefs decide to trade McDuffie, the Los Angeles Rams have emerged as a strong trade suitor. Rumors surrounding McDuffie’s landing with the Rams began toward the end of last season when the Rams’ secondary struggled in coverage. Rams general manager Les Snead poured gasoline on those rumors while meeting with reporters on Tuesday.
According to The Athletic’s Nate Atkins, Snead said the Rams are open to trading a first-rounder for a “proven player” and admitted that the secondary is a focal point this offseason. “Is there an All-Pro that you could add?” Snead said, per Atkins.
Newell pointed out that the Rams’ recently promoted defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake recruited and coached McDuffie at Washington. Lake was the Huskies’ defensive coordinator during McDuffie’s freshman year, then took over as head coach for 2020 and 2021.
According to Newell, the Chiefs “love” McDuffie and continued discussions with McDuffie’s representation at the 2026 NFL Combine last week, but a long-term deal is not imminent.
“This much seems clear: K.C. won’t want McDuffie to simply play out the final year of his current contract,” Newell wrote. “He’ll either be signed to an extension, or the team will make the difficult decision to trade him while recouping draft resources.”