The Kansas City Chiefs are entering Week 1 having answered a lot of questions about their future roster construction, and general manager Brett Veach has prioritized the trenches after getting stomped in the Super Bowl by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Aside from drafting Josh Simmons in the first round and extending George Karlaftis, Veach also gave Jaylon Moore $30 million and helped bring defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi back. Despite these moves, however, it's still important to ensure that stars who Veach drafted stick around.
One of those players is All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. It's somewhat surprising that McDuffie hasn't yet been signed to an extension, though new comments from the defender suggest that he's not taking the slow negotiation as a sign of disrespect, and the Chiefs are lucky for that.
Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie asked for an update on his contract situation and whether an extension might be imminent: "None really. Right now, it's really about the season and the game. . . Let's just go out there and have a great year this year."
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) August 31, 2025
Says he's not concerned about his…
Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie isn't Upset About Slow Contract Talks
Speaking to the media on Sunday, McDuffie shut down concerns that he was worried about the contract.
"None really. Right now, it's really about the season and the game," McDuffie said when asked about the potential deal. "Let's just go out there and have a great year this year."
That's the right attitude, and it's generally expected that McDuffie will reset the market whenever he signs. He'll be the first defensive back in Veach's tenure that gets an extension, and he's more than earned it. Widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, McDuffie is a leader on the defense and ranked third out of 222 qualified corners at Pro Football Focus in 2024. He's the exact type of player that teams need to pay and it's a matter of when, not if, that he gets his deal.
All that said, he's only getting more expensive by the day. Derek Stingley Jr. added three years and $90 million to his contract in the offseason, and that's roughly the average annual cost that Kansas City can expect to pay McDuffie. It's intriguing that the organization worked out a new deal with Karlaftis so quickly, but is still negotiating with McDuffie, possibly indicating that he's seeking somewhere close to $35 million annually with strong guarantees.
We'll see what happens, but McDuffie is someone the franchise can't afford to lose. Still just 24 years old, it's reasonable to think that he's one of the organization's best assets and should be a Chief for years to come. It sounds like he wants to remain here, though each passing day makes the price go up. Here's hoping a deal gets done sooner rather than later.