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The Los Angeles Rams are acquiring All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs in a blockbuster trade that includes the 29th overall pick of this year’s draft, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The Chiefs reportedly would also receive the Rams’ fifth- and sixth-round selections in this year’s draft as well as a third-round pick in 2027.
The Rams, however, still own the No 13 overall pick of the 2026 draft. They acquired that pick from the Atlanta Falcons during a draft-day trade last April.
The deal would fill the Rams’ biggest roster need by adding an elite cornerback to their mediocre secondary. Los Angeles finished 19th in the NFL in pass defense last season, undercutting the work of a strong defensive line and the league’s most productive offense.
A two-time Super Bowl champion and a strong coverage defender who also excelled in pressuring quarterbacks and delivering big hits during his first four NFL seasons, McDuffie was a first-team AP All-Pro selection in 2023 and a second-team choice in 2024.
McDuffie, a first-round pick in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will make $13.6m this season, though the Rams already are likely working on a long-term deal.
The Chiefs would have been unable to fit a long-term contract with McDuffie under their salary cap, having already doled out big contracts to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, defensive linemen Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, and offensive linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.
With this extra draft capital, the Chiefs will attempt to pry open a second Super Bowl window for Mahomes by boosting the talent around him. Kansas City will also continue their recent tradition of parting ways with their best defensive backs when they reach eligibility for their second contracts: Two years ago, Kansas City traded L’Jarius Sneed to Tennessee.
The Rams’ cornerbacks were a clear flaw in last season’s powerhouse team, who reached the NFC championship game before falling to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. After failing to land any significant help for the secondary during the season, general manager Les Snead said last month that cornerback was “a position group that we’ll attack over the next few weeks.”
Snead is doing exactly that with a vintage Rams trade using his draft assets to bolster a roster that wants to capitalize on its remaining years with 38-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford, who just won his first NFL MVP award.
More importantly, the Rams still have the 13th overall pick, and salary cap room to accommodate an elite cornerback’s contract.
The trade would be a homecoming for McDuffie, who grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs and played for St John Bosco High School in Bellflower. McDuffie then went to the University of Washington, where he played under head coach Jimmy Lake, who is now the Rams’ defensive backs coach.
McDuffie fits the Rams’ preferred mold of cornerbacks who excel in multiple defensive roles. Los Angeles already re-signed safety Quentin Lake, who fills the versatile “star” role performed on their past defenses by former All-Pro Jalen Ramsey.
McDuffie has three interceptions and 5.5 sacks in his career and leads all cornerbacks with 34 quarterback pressures and eight forced fumbles during his four seasons, according to NextGenStats.
