The Rams are back in the all-in business.
Los Angeles is adding star cornerback Trent McDuffie in an expected trade with the Chiefs, sending a 2026 first-rounder (No. 29 overall), a fifth- and sixth-rounder in this April's draft, and a 2027 third-round selection to Kansas City, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.
McDuffie is also expected to receive a new contract upon completion of the trade with more than $30.1 million in new money, Rapoport added. A 2022 first-round draft pick, McDuffie is currently set to play the 2026 season on the final year of his rookie contract.
A standout at the University of Washington, McDuffie ascended to prominence quickly in Kansas City, proving he could fill a number of secondary roles and produce consistently on his way to a first-team All-Pro selection in 2023. In Kansas City's run to Super Bowl LVIII, McDuffie played an elite nickel and delivered lockdown coverage, starring in the Chiefs' overtime triumph by making a handful of crucial plays as part of a stifling Kansas City defense that served as the difference in their second straight Super Bowl victory.
As is often the case with champions, offseason attrition (plus McDuffie's natural progression) prompted the Chiefs to move McDuffie to a more traditional starting cornerback role, where he proved himself as a top-tier corner over the next two seasons, earning a second-team All-Pro selection in 2024 and posting the second-best coverage grade (87.7) among all corners since 2023, per Pro Football Focus. With one year left on his rookie deal and the Chiefs facing a future in which assets and cap space will be more useful as they attempt to quickly retool their aging roster, now became the time to move McDuffie while it was still possible to recoup a return.
While the Rams proved to be one of the NFL's top two teams in 2025, their greatest weakness was obvious: secondary. Los Angeles' coverage unit peaked with a stunning showing in the Rams' Divisional Round win over the Bears in Chicago, but there was no glossing over their inconsistencies otherwise, especially once the clock struck zero in a 31-27 NFC Championship Game loss to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks, a heartbreaking defeat in which Sam Darnold delivered a signature performance (25 of 36, 346 yards, three touchdowns) against Los Angeles' embattled secondary.
The top priority in the 2026 offseason became clear that evening: Improve the secondary in order to ensure this doesn't happen again. With three corners headed toward free agency, Rams general manager Les Snead is turning back toward the strategy that turned them into a perennial contender and powered the Rams to a Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season, willingly sacrificing immediate top draft capital in order to acquire a proven cornerback in his prime.
Last time around, it was Jalen Ramsey. This time, it's McDuffie.
The Rams still own the No. 13 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, a pick they acquired from Atlanta last April. The Chiefs now hold two first-round selections: Nos. 9 and 29 overall.
A Southern California native who graduated from Los Angeles County powerhouse St. John Bosco, McDuffie returns home with the same expectations he experienced (and often fulfilled) in Kansas City: Win a Super Bowl.