Chiefs trade All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles Rams

There could actually be power in talking something into existence.

Just ask Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Last year, while speaking at an event at his Los Angeles-area high school alma mater, the Chiefs’ lockdown cornerback mentioned the possibility of someday returning to Southern California to play for the Rams.

“You’re going to get me in trouble,” McDuffie said when asked what other team he could see himself playing for. “Let’s think. If I could play for another team, I’d probably want to play close to my family, so that would probably be the LA Rams, so that my family could come see every single game.”

Less than a year later, the 25-year-old McDuffie appears to be on his way home after the Rams agreed to send four draft picks to the Chiefs for one of the best young corners in the game. Trades can’t be finalized until the start of the 2026 league year, which begins March 11 at 1 p.m. PT.

The compensation was steep, to be sure.

The Rams are giving up their 2026 first-round pick at No. 29 and their fifth and sixth round picks this year, plus their 2027 third-round pick. They kept their first-round pick at No. 13 overall, though.

In addition, they are expected to reward McDuffie with a lucrative new contract extension.

But from their perspective, it’s assets and money well spent. They didn’t just fill their biggest offseason need ahead of the opening of free agency. They did so by acquiring a certified impact cornerback, the caliber of which won’t be available on the open market and is unlikely to be available in the NFL draft.

The Rams were also involved in trade talks with the Raiders for edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but the Raiders’ asking price, coupled with Crosby turning 29 years old before the start of next season, resulted in the Rams bailing out.

The club also believes it is set at pass rush, where youngsters Jared Verse, Byron Young and Braden Fiske are the foundation of a formidable group.

Cornerback, on the other hand, was a far bigger need. The position gradually became a liability as last season progressed, and with Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon both pending free agents, there was an opening to make an upgrade.

Rams general manager Les Snead broached that very subject when he spoke to local reporters Tuesday.

“At the end of the day, it’s all of us doing the after-action review, coaching staff coming in and saying, ‘Hey, this maybe tweaks what we’re trying to accomplish on the back end from a scheme standpoint.’ Then at that point, determining who our roster fits, the new adjustments or tweaks. Then at that point, it’s figuring out, is there an All-Pro that you could add?” Snead said. “That could be nice, but if there’s not an All-Pro, is there a player out there that adds an edge based on what we’re trying to accomplish?”

Turns out McDuffie was the exact All-Pro-caliber player the Rams wanted. And in typical Snead fashion, he was willing to pay the necessary price to acquire him.

That is nothing new for a GM who has never shied away from using draft capital to add veteran cornerbacks.

Back in 2019, he dealt two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey, who played a big role in their Super Bowl 56 championship.

It’s also not the first time Snead’s turned to the Chiefs for cornerback help. In 2018, Snead used a 2019 second-round pick and a 2018 fourth-rounder to acquire Marcus Peters from the Chiefs.

Peters and the Rams advanced to Super Bowl 53 that season.

Snead exercised similar aggressiveness in reeling in McDuffie, a native of Westminster and a prep star at Servite and St. John Bosco high schools. That is just one connection to the Rams, though. McDuffie also reunited with current Rams assistant coach Jimmy Lake, who was McDuffie’s defensive coordinator for one season at the University of Washington.

The move keeps with the Rams’ win-now mindset as they try to maximize the final years of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s career, and their long-standing willingness to use premium draft capital to add impact veteran players.

In fact, over the last 10 years, the Rams have executed just one first-round pick after trading all the others away in deals for proven veterans or, in the case of Jared Goff, trading up in the 2016 draft to select him first overall.

Despite parting with all that draft firepower, they have not missed a beat while winning four division titles and advancing to two Super Bowls in that time. Their Super Bowl 56 victory was powered, in part, by the quarterback play of Stafford, whom the Rams acquired in a trade with the Lions for two first-round picks, among other considerations.

McDuffie has been a top NFL cornerback throughout his career, both in the slot and the perimeter, while also showing pass-rush skills.

A first-round pick in 2022, McDuffie has 246 career tackles, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and 34 pass breakups.

Now he slides right into the Rams’ defense.