The Kansas City Chiefs traded cornerback Trent McDuffie last week because they knew he wanted to get paid, and McDuffie appears to have done just that, reaching an agreement with the Los Angels Rams for four years, $125 million, with $100 million of that money guaranteed that makes him the highest paid cornerback in NFL history, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN via an Adam Schefter report.
The Chiefs traded McDuffie to the Rams for multiple draft picks, including the Rams’ top pick, a 2027 third-rounder and a pair of late-round picks. The deal was contingent on McDuffie starting contract talks with the Rams, and it will now become official when the new league year starts on Wednesday.
McDuffie made $13.6 million with the Chiefs last season as Kansas City exercised the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, and now the AAV of his deal will allow him to say he’s the highest paid corner in the league. His number is $31 million, while Sauce Gardner of the Indianapolis Colts is at $30.1 million and Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans averages $30 million.
These numbers may be an illusion, however, and McDuffie’s status may not be real when the contract structure is released with exact financial terms. All bets are off beyond the guaranteed money until those final numbers are available.
This deal solves problems for both team. The Chiefs were never going to pay McDuffie, especially not with safety Bryan Cook and corner back Jaylen Watson set to hit free agency, and the Rams have a major need at cornerback.
McDuffie is from Southern California, and at a Chiefs back-to-school event in Kansas City, he was asked what other team he’d like to play for if it wasn’t the Chiefs.
"You're going to get me in trouble," McDuffie said. "Let's think. If I could play for another team, I'd probably want to play close to my family, so that would probably be the L.A. Rams so that my family could come see every single game."
Now his wish has come true. During his career with the Chiefs, McDuffie had three interceptions, 34 pass breakups, 5.5 sacks and 246 total tackles over a span of 56 games. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2023, and McDuffie was rated third best in the league among cornerbacks who were targeted at least 150 times, allowing just 6.0 yards per target.