Chiefs Trade Star CB Trent McDuffie to Rams for Huge Draft Haul

The Chiefs have traded cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams in exchange for a bevy of draft picks. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Chiefs are sending star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams in exchange for a bevy of draft picks, Adam Schefter reported Wednesday afternoon.

Kansas City traded the All-Pro corner to Los Angeles for a package that includes a 2026 first-round pick (No. 29), fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder. McDuffie is expected to sign a long-term deal with the Rams, per Schefter. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will clear $13.6 million off their books.

McDuffie was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2022 draft and has turned into one of the team’s most promising young stars over the last four seasons. The two-time Super Bowl champ had three interceptions, 34 passes defended and 246 combined tackles across 56 starts. He’ll be reunited with Rams assistant coach Jimmy Lake, who previously coached McDuffie at the University of Washington.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted to the stunning trade with one word: “Damn,” Mahomes wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

This marks the second time in three years that the Chiefs have opted to ship out an elite cornerback instead of paying him. In March 2024, Kansas City notably traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans for a 2025 third-rounder and a 2024 seventh-round pick swap.

The McDuffie trade shares some similarities to the franchise’s blockbuster Tyreek Hill deal back in 2022, as NFL’s Tom Pelissero noted. The Chiefs decided to trade Hill, who was also in his prime, to the Dolphins for draft picks and cap flexibility that ultimately helped them build a sustainable Super Bowl-contending team (Kansas City reached the Super Bowl in each of the following three seasons and won it twice).

In 2025, the Chiefs are coming off their most disappointing campaign in the Mahomes era that saw them finish 6-11—good for third in the AFC West—and miss the playoffs altogether. Kansas City’s front office may not be done making moves this offseason as Mahomes continues to rehab his torn ACL.

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