The Kansas City Chiefs finally hammered out an agreeable contract extension with starting right guard Trey Smith on July 15, but there is still more work to be done, and next on the docket appears to be star cornerback Trent McDuffie.
New ESPN KC beat reporter Nate Taylor (formerly of The Athletic) joined ESPN’s “NFL Live” broadcast on the evening of July 15, and he noted that he expects a McDuffie extension to be general manager Brett Veach’s next priority as we get closer and closer to Week 1. “Chiefs Blitz” shared video of the exchange on X.
“And one more thing,” Taylor said, after reporting on the Trey Smith deal. “Based on Sauce Gardner’s [contract extension] today, the Chiefs will now shift their focus to All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who you could argue has been the more productive player.”
“Can they get a deal done with Trent McDuffie before training camp, [or] before the regular season starts?” Taylor pondered on the TV broadcast.
Sauce Gardner’s Contract Extension Sets New Benchmark for Chiefs & Trent McDuffie
In all likelihood, Veach has already touched base with McDuffie’s agents on a long-term deal at some point this offseason. But Smith was the clear first priority as he was playing on the franchise tag.
The Chiefs locked in McDuffie and fellow 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis for a fifth year just after the draft, so they do have time. As fans have come to learn, however, the longer you wait, the more the price goes up.
Taylor referenced Gardner’s new four-year, $120.4 million contract, which was reported on Tuesday. The deal comes out to a record-breaking $30.1 million per year salary, the highest ever for a cornerback.
Unfortunately, that’s now the benchmark for McDuffie, who should reset the market once again.
It was recently predicted that McDuffie and the Chiefs would settle on a three-year, $97 million extension. Including his 2025 salary and fifth-year option in 2026, a contract extension like that would have added up to a total of $113.24 million from 2025 through 2029.
Having said that, in terms of average annual salary, that predicted deal would reset the CB market with McDuffie’s 32.33 million per year (from 2027-2029) beating Gardner. So, theoretically, that recent projection could still come to pass.
Remember, McDuffie is a two-time All-Pro, like Gardner, except one of his two All-Pros was a second-team selection rather than two first-team honors.
McDuffie has been one of the more consistent and versatile defensive backs since entering the league, and he’s right up there with Gardner, Patrick Surtain II and Derek Stingley Jr. headlining the new wave of elite cornerbacks around the sport.
The only questions are, will he reset the market when he signs, and will McDuffie push for four more years like Gardner, or a shorter three-year extension similar to the prediction above?
Trey Smith Will Not Be the Last KC Contract Extension of 2025
Veach and the Chiefs signaled early this offseason that they would be focusing on extending and retaining the players they have, rather than going out and spending big money in free agency.
We’ve already seen them keep that promise with linebacker Nick Bolton and Smith, and McDuffie seems to be next on the list.
It doesn’t necessarily end there, as Kansas City could attempt to work out a long-term deal with Karlaftis, too.
Other top candidates for an early extension from the very large and successful 2022 draft class would be safety Bryan Cook, cornerback Jaylen Watson, and linebacker Leo Chenal. With starting running back Isiah Pacheco likely being more of a wait-and-see candidate.
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