The Kansas City Chiefs re-signed a few of their key contributors who hit free agency this offseason. Trey Smith and Nick Bolton will remain in Kansas City on lucrative, multi-year deals. At the same time, the Chiefs had to make the difficult decision to let Tershawn Wharton and Justin Reid walk for financial reasons.
One of the next orders of business for GM Brett Veach is the Trent McDuffie decision. The star cornerback will enter the fourth season of his rookie deal and is extension-eligible. Even though Veach has famously never given a contract extension to a defensive back, the Chiefs are expected to do so with McDuffie.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, they just received great news from an AFC rival. The Buffalo Bills just signed their own standout cornerback, Christian Benford, to a four-year, $76 million deal on Saturday. This should help the Chiefs in a massive way in extension negotiations with McDuffie.
More about the Bills and CB Christian Benford reaching agreement on a four-year, $76 million extension, via @agetzenberg:https://t.co/HwFguCOgBN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 29, 2025
NFL News: Bills Sign CB Christian Benford to a 4-Year, $76 Million Extension
While McDuffie was drafted in the first round and Benford in the sixth, the two defenders have had very similar starts to their careers. McDuffie was ranked the fourth-best cornerback in the NFL last season per Pro Football Focus, while Benford ranked sixth. They essentially have the same defensive grades on PFF over the last two seasons while playing a comparable number of games and defensive snaps. In 2024, both players had two interceptions and allowed the same completion percentage when targeted.
Benford's average annual salary of $19 million looks like a real bargain under these circumstances. Earlier in the offseason, Jaycee Horn received a four-year, $100 million deal from the Panthers while Derek Stingley Jr. got a three-year, $90 million from the Texans. Players like Patrick Surtain II, Jaire Alexander, AJ Terrell, and Denzel Ward, all have higher AAV on their salaries than Benford's.
The Chiefs would be wise to point to Benford's contract while negotiating with McDuffie's camp. Whether they can come to an agreement remains to be seen, but Buffalo's deal with a fellow 2022 standout cornerback is certainly a huge leverage point for Veach.