Trent McDuffie's Reps, Veach Will Roll Up Sleeves 1st Thing Wednesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – St. Elmo’s Steakhouse is packed every night during combine week in Indianapolis. The patrons are a cross section of NFL scouts, personnel executives, coaches, media and agents. Lots and lots of agents.

Those agents might be the most important people in Indianapolis this week with regard to the future of Kansas City’s All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.

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“Yeah, we had a lot of dialogue with Trent last spring, last summer,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday. “And he's first out of the gate, I think, tomorrow. So, looking forward to getting with them. And, obviously, Trent’s a great player and we’ll see what we can do there. But certainly, would love to have Trent back and for the long-term.”

McDuffie’s agents at that meeting Wednesday morning will certainly remind Veach why their client is so highly regarded across the league. Or, they could simply roll McDuffie’s 2024 film from his one-on-one dominance of Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

mcduffie, chas — Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) brings down Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Chiefs took a 26-25 win with a go-ahead field goal as time expired. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Third cornerback taken in 2022

The dialogue Veach and McDuffie’s agents had previously might’ve gotten them closer to a contract extension, but obviously not far enough. Kansas City’s top selection (21st overall) in the 2022 draft was the third cornerback taken behind Derek Stingley (No. 3) and Sauce Gardner (No. 4).

Stingley and the Texans consummated a three-year, $90-million extension in May, while Gardner got a four-year, $120.4 million deal from the Jets just two months later. Then, on Nov. 4, the Jets sent Gardner and that contract to Indianapolis for the Colts’ first-round picks in both 2026 and ’27. Indy also included wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in the deal.

gardner, ric — Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) cannot make a catch against Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Those were all gigantic developments with regard to McDuffie’s future in Kansas City. Should Veach and the cornerback’s representatives agree on value for a contract extension, they’ll use the Stingley and Garnder deals as starting points.

Should they determine they’re not close in value – or that the Chiefs aren’t able to rework their thin salary-cap to accommodate a McDuffie extension – then they’ll use the Gardner trade as a starting point for moving McDuffie to another team.

worthy, stingle — Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) is tackled by Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the second quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Chiefs might not garner two first-round picks for McDuffie, but they’d get a Chiefs Kingdom in ransom. And Veach has just six picks in April’s draft, before the league potentially provides a compensatory selection for losing safety Justin Reid as an unrestricted free agent.

As of now, McDuffie is scheduled to play under the fifth-year option, a move the Chiefs exercised prior to the 2024 season. In the unlikely event they can’t trade him or agree on a contract extension, McDuffie would either get the franchise tag a year from now or the Chiefs would let him hit free agency.

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