Trent McDuffie is the most talented player in the Kansas City Chiefs' secondary, the sort of young player that a team should be locking up with a contract extension as free agency approaches. But the Chiefs are in a bit of a financial pickle, both now and in the future, and McDuffie's situation might be calling for something different as he heads toward his fifth NFL season.
The Chiefs technically have the rights to McDuffie after activating their fifth-year option a year ago. McDuffie was the team's initial first-round choice in 2022 at No. 21 overall (the other being George Karlaftis at No. 30). Instead of hitting free agency, McDuffie is set to remain in K.C. for one more season before his scheduled day in free agency in 2027.
For their part, the Chiefs have already spoken publicly about their desire to negotiate an extension with McDuffie in months past. Last August, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach went on record about contract negotiations and said, "Trent’s obviously a guy that we want to make it a priority to get that done." That's not the only time Veach has made such overtures.
Of course, much can change in the course of time, and K.C. has pivoted on players in the past. Tyreek Hill was in the midst of negotiating a new extension when the market shifted and the Chiefs traded him to the Miami Dolphins instead.
The idea of trading Trent McDuffie has gone from a fringe idea to a consistently entertained possibility in NFL media.
But calls for potentially trading McDuffie have been heard from fans on social media for quite some time. Yet if anyone doubted the veracity of such an idea, analysts and NFL writers have been backing up the notion with potential trade ideas. The latest comes from Daniel Jeremiah in his latest mock draft.
The Dallas Cowboys have two first-round picks at No. 12 and 20 overall. Jeremiah has Dallas going with Miami pass rusher Akheem Mesidor with the latter pick, but he also writes, "Then again, if the Chiefs would take this pick in a trade for Trent McDuffie entering the final year of his rookie deal), the Cowboys would solve their secondary issues in the blink of an eye."
At this point, the potential of trading McDuffie has entered the mainstream, despite the fact that he is the Chiefs' most talented defender outside of Chris Jones. Therein lies his value to other teams, of course, but the Chiefs would be creating a hole by trading him. That said, his best role as a slot corner complicates the finances involved and the Chiefs have the worst salary cap situation in the NFL going into a new league year.
No one outside of Arrowhead knows how things will play out regarding McDuffie's future, and it's possible that insiders aren't sure as well. The stakes are high, and the situation is fluid, so Veach might be waiting for a number of scenarios to play out first. But a trade of McDuffie feels far more realistic now than ever, whether fans like the idea or not.