The Kansas City Chiefs trading away star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday may have surprised fans. It sure seemed to surprise some of McDuffie’s teammates, who took to Twitter to react in real time.
But the Chiefs have called this play before.
It was an even more seismic move four years ago when they traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, coming off a career-high 111 catches and six straight Pro Bowl appearances, to the Miami Dolphins for a bounty of draft picks.
The Chiefs weren’t comfortable making Hill the highest-paid receiver in the league, which he soon became after signing a lucrative extension with the Dolphins.
Instead, they reeled in Miami’s first-, second- and fourth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and fourth- and sixth-round picks in 2023.
Kansas City used that first-round pick (No. 29) and the fourth-round pick it acquired, along with its own third-round pick, to trade with the New England Patriots and move up to No. 21 to select … that’s right, McDuffie.
The Chiefs also used that draft capital in a series of other draft-day trades, ultimately ending up with wide receiver Skyy Moore and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard in 2022, using the 2023 fourth-rounder as part of a package to move up from No. 63 to No. 55 the next year and take WR Rashee Rice, and ultimately turning the 2023 sixth-round pick into a 2024 fifth-round selection of C Hunter Nourzad.
Overall, it was a mixed return beyond McDuffie.
Moore had 43 catches over two and a half seasons in Kansas City before moving onto San Francisco. Kinnard played one game for the Chiefs and has since played for Philadelphia and Green Bay. Nourzad has appeared in 28 games with one start for the team. And the Rice pick isn’t really a direct return from the Hill trade.
What The Trent McDuffie Trade Means For KC
McDuffie, though, made it worthwhile.
He was an immediate factor as the Chiefs won the next two Super Bowls and reached a third straight while the cornerback was named first-team All-Pro in 2023 and second-team All-Pro in 2024. Overall, he totaled 2 interceptions, 34 passes defended, 8 forced fumbles and 246 tackles in 56 games with the Chiefs while delivering generally excellent coverage.
The team also saved a ton of money by not giving into Hill’s contract demands and was able to fill out those Super Bowl rosters.
So Chiefs general manager Brett Veach made a similar calculus this time as McDuffie entered the final year of his rookie contract.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted that he expects McDuffie to become the highest-paid cornerback in football at more than $30 million per year once he signs an extension with the Rams.
That’s money the Chiefs will instead invest to likely address multiple needs. Meanwhile, they also get the Rams’ 2026 first- (No. 29), fifth- and sixth-round picks and a 2027 third-round pick.
After seven straight AFC championship game appearances, five Super Bowl trips and three championships, the Chiefs hit a speedbump in 2025 while missing the playoffs and seeing star QB Patrick Mahomes tear the ACL and LCL in his left knee. They also had future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce showing his age and now contemplating retirement, and even before Mahomes’ injury the team’s once-vaunted offense had become a liability.
But as long as Mahomes and coach Andy Reid are in place, the Chiefs’ Super Bowl window remains plenty open.
The McDuffie trade is a setback at one position with the intent of being a boon across several others via the added draft capital and substantial money that can be used elsewhere — like say, restoring the offense to its past potential.
Of course, the first part of that equation is only a win for the Chiefs if they hit on those draft picks, or at least the first-rounder — like they did with McDuffie four years ago.
McDuffie Will Help Boost The Rams’ Super Bowl Hopes
Meanwhile, the impact of this trade for the Rams is more direct.
Los Angeles is also in win-now mode but with even greater urgency, as its own Super Bowl window may last only as long as QB and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford staves off retirement. Stafford announced he’s returning to play in 2026 at 38 years old, but there’s no telling how many years he has left in the game.
The Rams have a loaded offense, a solid defensive front seven and decent safeties. Their most glaring need was absolutely at cornerback, with prominent pieces Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon free agents. Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (team-high 3 interceptions and 18 passes defended in 2025) and Darious Williams (1 INT, 8 PDs) were the only corners of note under contract — and none of those players mentioned is on par with McDuffie.
McDuffie immediately elevates the unit and a pass defense that ranked in the bottom half of the league last year.
The Rams’ strategy here is the opposite of the Chiefs — pooling assets and money to throw at one priority need for an immediate upgrade — and both are sensible for each respective side’s circumstances.
But the biggest winner of all in this trade is McDuffie himself.
Sure, he’s leaving one of the league’s best teams, where he won two Super Bowl rings, but the Los Angeles-area native is returning home now.
ESPN dug up a quote from McDuffie last August when he was at a community event in Kansas City and was asked what other team he’d most want to play for if he ever left the Chiefs.
“You’re going to get me in trouble,” McDuffie responded. “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 LA Rams so that my family could come see every single game.”
That now becomes reality for McDuffie, along with that monstrous contract extension to come while landing on another Super Bowl contender.
McDuffie for the win, indeed.
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