An offseason is like a choose-your-own-adventure book. Nobody knows where it will ultimately end up, but each decision has an impact on the next. The first critical decision of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason is to determine the future of cornerback Trent McDuffie.
The choice must be made early and with conviction.
Objectively, McDuffie is a good football player. He has become everything the Chiefs hoped he would be when the front office traded up to select him with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He can play inside or out, he holds up well against the run and he is, by all accounts, a consummate professional in all aspects.
This is not the kind of player teams look to rid themselves of — but this is not a typical offseason in Kansas City.
It figures to be an offseason full of difficult decisions for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. The cap situation is less than ideal. There are countless positions of need. Kansas City’s draft picks will be higher than in recent seasons, but there are still just six selections in total.
McDuffie has served as “Mr. Fix-It” in Kansas City — and he could fill a similar role for the Chiefs’ offseason if traded.
McDuffie is slated to earn $13.6 million in guaranteed salary this upcoming season. That’s a completely reasonable salary for a cornerback of his caliber, but it’s a significant cap hit for a team that could use every ounce of relief.
The Chiefs enter the offseason more than $54 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap’s calculations. Cutting Jawaan Taylor, Mike Danna, Drue Tranquill and Noah Gray would save nearly $40 million against the cap. Restructuring Patrick Mahomes’ deal could save up to an additional $44 million. Starting with those five moves would bring the Chiefs’ available cap space to approximately $28 million. That sounds like a big number until you start adding players to the roster.
Taking into account the Chiefs’ projected draft pool ($12.7 million) and a free agent running back (approximately $5-10 million), suddenly, there’s only $5-10 million left to spend on free agency. It gets tight, quick.
Unless…
Kansas City adds roughly $13 million by trading McDuffie. From a cap perspective, it’s a simple move. His fully guaranteed salary would not result in any dead money on the books.
That money could instead be used to add a new pass rusher like Boye Mafe or Dre’Mont Jones. Both should be in that $10-$15 million average annual value range, and could fill into a similar spot on the Chiefs’ cap sheet. The two players are not the same caliber of player as McDuffie, but either would bring a skillset the Chiefs are lacking along the defensive line.
A McDuffie trade is about more than just money, though. It’s also about the assets the Chiefs would get in return. Remember how vital that 2022 draft class was for the Chiefs — the one which, not coincidentally, included McDuffie? The reason that class was possible was because of a highly unpopular trade that sent Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for five draft picks. Those picks included a first-round pick (no. 29), a second-round pick (no. 50) and a fourth-round pick in 2022.
The added draft capital provided Veach the flexibility to move up and down the board as necessary. The result was adding McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, Jaylen Watson and Isiah Pacheco as core members of the Chiefs dynasty.
Most of those players are now aging out or pricing themselves out of the Chiefs’ plans, so it’s time for another infusion of youth into the Chiefs’ core.
It’s hard to say exactly how other teams would value a player with McDuffie’s resume. He is at his best as a slot defender, but he has spent most of his time lined up outside over the past couple of seasons. His size (5 feet 11 inches tall and 195 pounds) is the biggest reason he was available as late as he was in the draft, and it could prove to be a hindrance in trade talks, as well. Regardless, McDuffie is a heck of a football player, and he should demand at least the equivalent of an early second-round pick.
The bottom line
Trading McDuffie is the clearest path for the Chiefs to improve their cap and draft pick situation. It’s the kind of move that could set them up not just for a run in 2026, but beyond. The alternative to such a move would be either playing out the contract for 2026 on McDuffie’s fifth-year option or rewarding him with a long-term extension, likely in the neighborhood of DaRon Bland’s 4-year, $90 million deal.
Could the Chiefs make it work? Sure, they could. It would likely require restructuring Chris Jones’ contract, ballooning his 2027 and 2028 cap hits when he’s 33 and 34 years old, but it’s doable. It would also limit the team’s ability to improve at other positions in free agency. Again, workable, but not ideal.
The Chiefs are finally feeling the cost of pushing for a three-peat. Their usual model would have involved letting Jones walk in free agency and opening up flexibility in future years to re-sign young players like McDuffie. It was the right call at the time, but the bill is coming due. It’s going to require some concessions.
I don’t take any joy in saying the smart choice for the Chiefs this offseason is to trade McDuffie, who is one of my favorite cornerbacks in the NFL to watch at his best. But the Chiefs haven’t deployed him to feature his prime abilities in either of the past two seasons, they are desperate for cap relief and he is their best chance to add some much-needed draft capital.
The Chiefs’ offseason plans will be dictated by their decision on McDuffie. Moving on from an All-Pro caliber talent wouldn’t be an easy choice, but I do believe it’s the right one.
