NFL’s Highest-Paid Cornerbacks After Trent McDuffie Resets Market With New Rams Contract

The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Rams for four draft picks. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

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Trent McDuffie shined with the Chiefs through his first four seasons in the NFL, though the team ultimately balked at the idea of giving him a big contract extension, leading them to trade him to the Rams.

McDuffie was dealt to Los Angeles this offseason in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 29), a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. As part of that trade, the Rams were expected to work out a deal to sign McDuffie to a long-term contract extension, which the two sides have now agreed upon.

A new contract for McDuffie resets the market at the cornerback position, as his new deal will make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.

Trent McDuffie contract details

Per multiple reports, McDuffie’s four-year contract is worth a total of $124 million and will pay him $31 million annually.

How does McDuffie’s new deal stack up against the other high-earning cornerbacks in the league in terms of average annual value? Here’s a look at the league’s 15 highest-paid cornerbacks.

NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks after Trent McDuffie’s deal

Player	Team	Contract AAV	Total Contract Value
Trent McDuffie	Los Angeles Rams	$31 million	$124 million
Sauce Gardner	Indianapolis Colts	$30.1 million	$120.4 million
Derek Stingley Jr.	Houston Texans	$30 million	$90 million
Jaycee Horn	Carolina Panthers	$25 million	$100 million
Jalen Ramsey	Pittsburgh Steelers	$24.1 million	$72.3 million
Patrick Surtain II	Denver Broncos	$24 million	$96 million
DaRon Bland	Dallas Cowboys	$22.5 million	$90 million
A.J. Terrell	Atlanta Falcons	$20.25 million	$81 milion
Denzel Ward	Cleveland Browns	$20.1 million	$100.5 million
Marlon Humphrey	Baltimore Ravens	$19.5 million	$97.5 million
Tyson Campbell	Cleveland Browns	$19.125 million	$76.5 million
L’Jarius Sneed	Tennessee Titans	$19.1 million	$76.4 million
Jaylon Johnson	Chicago Bears	$19 million	$76 million
Charvarius Ward	Indianapolis Colts	$18 million	$54 million
Byron Murphy	Minnesota Vikings	$18 million	$54 million

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Prior to McDuffie’s new deal, fellow 2022 draft class defensive backs Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr. were the highest paid cornerbacks in the league. Stingley reset the market last March with a three-year, $90 million extension with the Texans. Gardner signed a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with the Jets a few months later, but was traded to the Colts less than a full season into the deal.

Stingley was the No. 3 pick in the ‘22 draft, while Gardner was picked fourth. Kansas City took McDuffie off the board at pick No. 21.

Who’s next to get paid?

The McDuffie deal wraps up the majority of the big contracts for players drafted in 2022, which means the next players in line for new deals will be stars from the draft class of 2023. Among the players selected that year who can potentially take the title of highest-paid cornerback from McDuffie include Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The pair of young cornerbacks, who just faced off in Super Bowl LX, will both be in line for new contracts next offseason, and their deals will likely reset the market once again.

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