On Wednesday, it was reported that the Chiefs created about $50 million in cap space to be under the cap for the new league year. The Chiefs needed the cap space to pay their incoming free agents, but they also had to convert both Patrick Mahomes' and Chris Jones' contracts to signing bonuses to fit the hefty $23 million cap hit for Trey Smith's franchise tag.
This marks the second consecutive year—and the third in the last four years—that the Chiefs will carry a large tag number around their necks during free agency (Orlando Brown, L'Jarius Sneed, and Trey Smith). The Chiefs would be better off not being handicapped by these large single-year cap hits in the midst of free agency.
The Chiefs were able to lock in Creed Humphrey early and keep his cap hit at a reasonable number for the 2025 season. Humphrey is an All-Pro and the league's best center. His contract was unique because there was no other center close to his talent who had recently been extended. The Chiefs have a much different issue with All-Pro Trent McDuffie.
Brett Veach would be very smart to get something done with Trent McDuffie ASAP.
In the midst of all the free agency news, the Carolina Panthers made Jaycee Horn the highest-paid corner in the NFL with a four-year, $100 million extension. Horn was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has never played a full 17-game season due to injury and has never been named to an All-Pro or Pro Bowl team. The only people who might be happier about Horn’s extension than Horn himself are Trent McDuffie, Derek Stingley Jr., and Sauce Gardner.
It’s now a race to see who can sign their all-pro CB from the 2022 class first. Sauce Gardener, Derek Stingley and Trent McDuffie.
— Price Carter (@priceacarter) March 13, 2025
McDuffie and Stingley both have 1 All-Pro and Sauce has 2. Feels like the team that goes last is going to end up paying the most…
The 2022 draft class is shaping up to be a great one for the NFL. The first round featured three All-Pro corners taken in the first 22 picks. Sauce Gardner of the Jets has been named to two First-Team All-Pro rosters, two Pro Bowls, and was the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Derek Stingley Jr. was named an All-Pro for the first time this year and also made the Pro Bowl. Trent McDuffie, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has been named to both First-Team and Second-Team All-Pro rosters.
All three corners could make a valid argument to be named the NFL’s highest-paid corner. The team that extends its star corner last is likely going to pay the highest price. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the Chiefs drag their feet with these extensions before, and it has cost them money. In 2023, they delayed extending Chris Jones, allowing players like Quinnen Williams and Jeffrey Simmons to push his price up. The Chiefs knew Creed Humphrey was the best center in football, and they paid him as such as quickly as possible. They can’t afford to take the Trey Smith approach with McDuffie.
The Chiefs will likely soon have the highest-paid center, guard, and defensive tackle in the NFL—and don’t be surprised if Mahomes gets a new deal to top Josh Allen’s extension. Given the current salary cap situation, the Chiefs really shouldn’t delay with McDuffie. What more do they need to see from him? There’s a chance McDuffie has a big 2025 season now that he’s likely moving back to the slot (where he’s best) with the Kristian Fulton signing.
McDuffie is one of the few true superstars on the Chiefs' roster. He’s been excellent since entering the league and should be the anchor of the Chiefs’ defense moving forward. Aging Chris Jones will always be the centerpiece of the pass rush, but he won’t be here forever. McDuffie is the young superstar of the Chiefs’ defense and needs to be paid accordingly. If the Chiefs play the waiting game, Stingley and Gardner could be paid first, and McDuffie could have another All-Pro season from the slot. The price for a player like McDuffie is only going up, and the Chiefs can’t afford to wait.