The Los Angeles Rams have their blockbuster trade acquisition of the offseason. And they will soon have him under contract, too.
The Rams have agreed to a four-year, $124 million extension with All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, pending the trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, which will become official when the new league year begins Wednesday, multiple league sources told The Athletic on Sunday. The deal includes $100 million in guaranteed money.
McDuffie’s new deal will make him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, averaging $31 million per year. It’s a fitting deal for a 25-year-old two-time All-Pro who also has two Super Bowl championships on his resume.
The new contract will begin next year, as he will finish out his rookie deal with a fifth-year option season, which counts for $13.6 million against the Rams’ salary cap.
McDuffie arrived last week through a trade with the Chiefs in which the Rams sent the 29th pick in this year’s NFL Draft as well as fifth- and sixth-rounders this year, and a third-round pick in next year’s draft.
It was a move the Rams were compelled to make to fill what they saw as their top roster weakness at outside cornerback. With strong safety Kam Curl returning on a three-year deal, the path is clear for McDuffie to primarily play on the outside.
McDuffie brings strong experience there, including as a second-team All-Pro in 2024. He was also a first-team All-Pro in 2023 as a primary nickel cornerback, which can be a role he plays at times when Quentin Lake rotates to free or strong safety.
Between McDuffie, Curl and Lake, who signed a three-year extension last season, the Rams now have a trio of secondary leaders under contract for the foreseeable future.
McDuffie played at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif., which is less than 20 miles from SoFi Stadium. He was recruited to the University of Washington by Jimmy Lake, who is the Rams’ new defensive backs coach. With Lake as his head coach at Washington, where he also played with Puka Nacua, McDuffie developed into a first-round pick by the Chiefs in 2022.
McDuffie told a crowd of fans at an event last August that if he could play for a team other than the Chiefs, he would pick his hometown Rams. And now, thanks to a trade and a new contract, he will do that for years to come.
The Rams paid a premium in draft capital to acquire McDuffie ahead of free agency. General manager Les Snead said his goal was to know what holes he needed to fill by then. And by inking McDuffie’s extension, the Rams also can operate on a clearer budget for contracts over the next few seasons.
Los Angeles will now embark on free agency with a much smaller list of needs. The Rams could use another cornerback, with Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon headed to free agency and Darious Williams’ retirement. Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is also entering a contract year, and the Rams have until May to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2027.
They could also explore an upgrade at linebacker as well as a No. 3 wide receiver to replace the outgoing Tutu Atwell and a backup quarterback to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, who is a free agent.