Rams Prompted To Emulate Trade For Marcus Peters Nine Years Later

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. After a little over a month removed from a remarkable turnaround that saw Sean McVay win NFL Coach Of the Year in his first season as the Rams' head man, the Los Angeles Rams made a bold move with the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire Marcus Peters.

Peters would help the Rams win the NFC Championship that year while doing his part to hold Tom Brady to one of his worst Super Bowl performances ever and the only Super Bowl which Brady did not throw for a touchdown.

The Rams would say goodbye to Peters about a year and a half after acquiring him to bring in Jalen Ramsey but the move to look at Kansas City to solve a significant problem in their secondary is once again being suggested nine years later.

Barnwell Makes His Case

ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes that the Rams could two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie for the price of a single first-round pick. Barnwell believes the Chiefs will make McDuffie available due to the franchise's history of letting premier corners walk with Peters and L'Jarius Sneed walk. The Chiefs also allowed Charvarious Ward to leave as well.

"Their biggest weakness is at cornerback, a position Snead has tried to address via trades for young stars in the past," stated Barnwell. "The Rams sent second- and fourth-round picks to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, and though that didn't work out, Snead followed up by sending two first-round picks to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey. That one did. I'm not sure there's a cornerback available worth that sort of haul, but would the Rams use one of their first-rounders to get an immediate difference-maker?"

"McDuffie fits that bill as a feisty, aggressive cornerback with the ability to play near the line of scrimmage. The Rams have spent at one of the league's lowest rates over the past two years on defense, and they would have no trouble absorbing a potential extension for McDuffie, let alone his $13.6 million fifth-year option in 2026. McDuffie might be best in the slot, where the Rams use Quentin Lake, but he's plenty effective as an outside cornerback, too."

"Why would the Chiefs, who also expect to compete for a Super Bowl, trade McDuffie? Well, Brett Veach hasn't been too interested in paying cornerbacks during his time as general manager. The Chiefs traded Peters after three seasons, one year removed from a first-team All-Pro nod. They developed L'Jarius Sneed into a standout, but at the end of his rookie deal, they franchise-tagged him and traded him to the Titans for a third-round pick."

"McDuffie is better than Peters or Sneed, but if the Chiefs aren't planning on extending their top corner, getting something significant for him now makes more sense than losing him in free agency for nothing more than a 2028 compensatory pick. In acquiring the No. 29 selection, the Chiefs would have three of the top-40 picks in this year's draft, which would give them the ability to add multiple rookie contributors and/or move around for specific players."

The Call

If Trent McDuffie is available for a first-round pick, Les Snead should make the call as soon as he is legally allowed. McDuffie would have to get paid but that's no problem for an organization that has set themselves up financially to pay out big contracts after this upcoming season.

McDuffie has championship quality, championship traits, championship standards, and championship experience. This isn't even a question. The Rams must grab McDuffie.

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