Chiefs Should Exercise Star's Fifth-Year Option

Three NFL seasons, three Super Bowls. That’s how Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie has launched his professional career. And don’t expect Kansas City to bid farewell to him anytime soon.

A key pillar in those three Super Bowl berths, McDuffie getting the fifth-year option confirmed on his rookie contract seems like a foregone conclusion – unless the Chiefs lock him up even longer by signing him to a contract extension. Regardless, Kansas City has until May 1 to formally notify the NFL whether they plan to keep him in 2026.

“McDuffie has been a cornerstone for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense,” NFL analyst Marc Ross said in January, “and he's become even more productive without having L’Jarius Sneed on the field in 2024.”

Indeed, after Sneed left to sign with Tennessee as an unrestricted free agent, McDuffie blossomed. He posted his career’s first two interceptions in 2024 and recorded a career-best 13 passes defensed. More importantly, McDuffie time and time again kept Kansas City in games, making plays that helped the Chiefs extend an NFL record of wins in one-score games to 17.

One of those games was Super Bowl LVIII, where McDuffie helped the Chiefs beat San Francisco in an overtime thriller, 25-22. In one of the signature plays of his early NFL career, McDuffie broke up a pass intended for Jajuan Jennings just after the two-minute warning. Spagnolo knew he could trust his young cornerback.

“It was a fourth-down call,” Spagnuolo told Peter Schrager last year. “We had it on our fourth down list,” Spagnuolo said. “Fortunately for us, our guys executed really well.”

That season, McDuffie allowed a 101.3 passer rating when targeted in coverage as he earned All-Pro honors. And after Sneed’s departure in 2024, McDuffie moved out of his familiar slot position to play on the outside – and shined. Per Next Gen Stats, McDuffie cut that opponent passer rating to 82.9 in 2024.

“Emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in 2024,” Ross said, “McDuffie will look to make more waves in the postseason and in the years to come in K.C.”

Those years to come might not include linebacker Nick Bolton and safety Justin Reid, both due to hit free agency on March 12. McDuffie might need to take on more responsibility in both the locker room and on the field.

First-round selections like McDuffie, the 21st overall choice in the 2022 draft out of Washington, are either granted or declined fifth-year contractual options by the teams before their fourth NFL seasons.

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