Chiefs Lose Both Starting Corners to Same Team

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jaylen Watson may or may not have been in discussions with the Chiefs until the final hours on Monday.

His three cryptic tweets over the weekend led fans to believe the Chiefs were in it until the end. But in the end, he wound up with the Los Angeles Rams. According to multiple reports, the cornerback will sign a three-year, $51 million deal, with $34 million guaranteed.

Chiefs don't pay cornerbacks

And as a result, the Rams will now employ each of the Chiefs’ 2025 starting cornerbacks, and the narrative that the Chiefs don’t pay at the position gains even more traction.

On Wednesday, the Chiefs agreed to trade All-Pro Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles for a quartet of valuable draft picks, including the Rams’ first-round choice (No. 29 overall) in 2026. Additionally, the Chiefs received fifth- and sixth-rounders in 2026 and the Rams’ third-round choice in 2027.

Best season in 2025

Watson, who enjoyed his best career season in 2025, is a big loss for Kansas City. A seventh-round selection in Brett Veach’s best Chiefs draft, 2022, Watson was a dependable starter for Steve Spagnuolo last season. He played 96 percent of their defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference, allowing opponent quarterbacks only a 79.0 passer rating when throwing in his direction.

In 53 regular-season games for the Chiefs (29 starts), Watson had three interceptions – two in 2025 and a 99-yard touchdown return as a rookie in 2022 – and four sacks. He registered six passes defensed in each of his four seasons.

In 10 playoff games (four starts), he finished with two interceptions and six passes defensed. One of his interceptions was a key takeaway in the 2022 AFC championship victory over Cincinnati, helping to vault the Chiefs to a Super Bowl.

According to Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Watson routinely asked to travel with the opponent’s best receivers in 2025.

Compensatory selections

The good news in losing Watson -- and several other free agents -- is that the Chiefs are expected to garner some attractive compensatory selections in 2027. The NFL awards draft picks beginning at the end of the third round to teams based on a net loss of high-level unrestricted free agents from the prior offseason.

Replacing Watson and McDuffie will be a significant task for Kansas City. A year ago, the team signed free-agent cornerback Kristian Fulton to a two-year deal but Fulton struggled to stay on the field. He wound up starting in December but seemed like he spent much of the year in Spagnuolo’s doghouse.

The team has a pair of young players in third-round selection Nohl Williams and non-drafted free agent Kevin Knowles coming off rookie seasons, in addition to Chris Roland-Wallace, who should return from injury and get the first shot at filling McDuffie’s role in the slot.

But the gap between McDuffie and Watson, and the players currently on the Chiefs’ roster, is wide as a canyon. The Chiefs are far from done, however. They still have free agency and the draft.