Exploring 4 Factors Chiefs Face When Considering McDuffie Trade

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The decisions the Chiefs make in the next 15 weeks will significantly shape the rest of No. 15’s NFL career.

That means supporting Patrick Mahomes both on the coaching staff and the other side of the ball. So, if they’re considering trading Trent McDuffie, something unfathomable a year ago, they need to get appropriate value.

brett veac — Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Combine. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Entering the 2025 season, Veach understandably seemed set on negotiating a long-term deal with McDuffie, his best player from the 2022 draft.

“That’s where I think the relationship will push through,” Veach said Aug. 28, noting that there wasn’t a deadline on contract negotiations. “We did have a chance to catch up before and during training camp, and I think things have been good. It’s not one of these where it's like, ‘Whoa. Wait, huge difference.’

“I think that there's an area of understanding on both sides. And, we're working through a bunch of stuff, but needless to say, those conversations will continue. And Trent’s obviously a guy that we want to make it a priority to get that done.”

The L'Jarius Sneed template

Things may have changed in the subsequent four-and-a-half months. And Veach could be dusting off his notes from his cornerback transaction two years ago.

Before Veach traded up to select McDuffie 21st overall in the 2022 draft, his starting cornerbacks were Charvarius Ward and L’Jarius Sneed.

Two years after drafting McDuffie, Veach made a significant trade involving Sneed. Should the Chiefs’ general manager entertain McDuffie discussions with other clubs, he’s likely to get even better value than the Sneed deal.

That trade – Sneed to the Titans for a swap of seventh-rounders in 2024 and Tennessee’s third-round selection in 2025 (eventually Ashton Gillotte at No. 66 overall) – was largely a financial move. With McDuffie as leverage, Veach worked for three offseasons attempting to extend Sneed.

Without an agreement on the cornerback’s value, Veach sent him to Tennessee in March of 2024. Two days later, Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension with the Titans. He’s played just 12 games with no interceptions over his first two years in Tennessee.

jaylen watso — Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) and cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) tackle wide receiver Van Jefferson (11) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Salary-cap restrictions

The Chiefs probably determined their future path at cornerback long before that trade, and they could be subscribing to the same school of thought with McDuffie. After losing the 2021 AFC championship to Cincinnati, Veach allowed Ward’s contract to expire and he signed with the 49ers in free agency.

Jaylen Watson, who started the first 15 games in 2025 with two interceptions and two sacks before a groin injury landed him on injured reserve, isn’t likely to re-sign. After an outstanding season, he’ll likely command more than the cash-strapped Chiefs are willing to offer in unrestricted free agency.

Lowest passer rating allowed this season:

• Quinyon Mitchell — 56.3
• Jaylen Watson — 64.5
• Pat Surtain II — 64.6
• Derek Stingley Jr. — 68.6
• Nate Wiggins — 70.0

Best corner in football.https://t.co/Ia6lEv4G8B
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) December 15, 2025

Appropriate value

The McDuffie trade, however, isn’t as simple. McDuffie, who hyperextended his knee while covering Nico Collins in the Dec. 7 loss to the Texans, didn’t play over most of the final five games. But before that, he was considered among the game’s best young corners, including consecutive All-Pro selections (first-team in 2023, second-team in 2024).

Sneed was a fourth-round draft pick in 2020 and didn’t earn as much as a Pro Bowl selection during his time in Kansas City. The Chiefs used their franchise tag to keep him off the market in both 2023 and 2024 before trading him to Tennessee.

McDuffie’s situation is different. He’s scheduled to play the 2026 season under the fifth-year team option.

And while the Chiefs have a bright young corner in Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton’s sample size isn’t big. Dealing McDuffie would be betting on Fulton, who also enters the final year of his contract in 2026.

Draft capital

The factor nudging the Chiefs toward a McDuffie trade, in addition to the significant contract coming his way, is a lack of draft capital.

Before the league awards compensatory picks in March, the Chiefs have only five selections in April: Their own picks in Rounds 1-5. They traded the pick obtained from Chicago (2026 fourth-round selection) in the Joe Thuney trade, along with their own 2025 third-rounder, to New England in order to move up 10 spots and select Williams in the third round.

nfl draf — The second day of the NFL Draft presented by Bud Light at the Draft Theater Friday, April 25, 2025, outside of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to Over the Cap, Kansas City is due a compensatory selection at the end of Round 5.

But before the 2024 trade deadline, the Chiefs traded their 2026 sixth-rounder to New England as part of the Josh Uche trade. Their seventh-rounder is believed to have gone to Dallas as a condition of the trade for Peyton Hendershot in August 2024.

McDuffie could recoup some of that capital, but getting appropriate value is paramount.

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