Washington Commanders v Kansas City Chiefs - NFL 2025
Getty Images

The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a blockbuster trade on Wednesday in a deal that might go down as a rare win-win situation for the teams involved. 

The Chiefs are sending two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams in exchange for a total of four draft picks, including a 2026 first-rounder. Here are the full details of the deal: 

  • Rams get: Trent McDuffie
  • Chiefs get: 2026 first-round pick (29th overall pick), 2026 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick, 2027 third-round pick

Now that we know what kind of compensation was involved in the trade, let's grade the deal for both sides. 

Chiefs grade: B+

You never want to trade away a top cornerback, but in this situation, the deal actually makes a ton of sense for the Chiefs. This is a team that's getting old and has a lot of holes on its roster and the quickest (and cheapest) way to fill those holes is by acquiring as many draft picks as possible. If the Chiefs had kept McDuffie, they would have likely had to pay him somewhere around $30 million on a long-term deal, but instead, they'll be able to use that money to fill other holes on their roster. 

And let's not forget, they're getting a first-round pick as part of the deal, so they could conceivably use that pick on a cornerback. In our CBS Sports draft prospect rankings, we have five corners ranked in the top 40 of the draft class (Jermod McCoy, Aveion Terrell, Mansoor Delane, Colton Hood, Keith Abney II) and the Chiefs now have three of the top 40 picks. 

The additional first-rounder means that the Chiefs will now get to make two picks in the opening round with those coming at ninth overall and 29th overall. With the additional pick, that means the Chiefs might feel more comfortable taking a swing at someone like Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at ninth overall knowing they still have another pick coming in the first round. 

When his team needs to rebuild on the fly, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has shown that he's been able to make it happen. When you have Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, you don't want to waste a single season in his Super Bowl window, which is likely why Veach was willing to make this deal. Back in 2022, the Chiefs were in a similar situation with Tyreek Hill. Instead of paying him top of the market money, they shipped him off to Miami in exchange for five draft picks and Veach ended up rebuilding Kansas City's roster with those picks (The Chiefs acquired the 29th overall pick in the Hill deal, which they ended using on George Karlaftis after trading one spot back). 

McDuffie has been a key part of the Chiefs' secondary since being taken with the 21st overall pick in 2022, but if the Chiefs were going to keep him, he was going to make at least $13.6 million in 2026 under the fifth-year option in his rookie deal, but that number likely would have been closer to $30 million since McDuffie was looking to get an extension before the start of the 2026 season. 

The Chiefs have several needs going into free agency and the draft, including running back and receiver. They also have needs on both the offensive and defensive lines, so stockpiling picks certainly seems like a smart move. 

The only knock on the Chiefs here is that the secondary now becomes a huge issue. Besides McDuffie, the Chiefs could also lose cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook, who are both set to be free agents. The Chiefs now have a lot of holes to fill and although stockpiling draft picks will help, you still have to hit on those picks and it remains to be seen what Kansas City's secondary will look like next year. 

Rams grade: A

If Les Snead has proven one thing during his time as the Rams' general manager, he's not afraid to trade away a first-round pick. The man who invented the 'F them picks' philosophy has traded away another first-round pick and like most of his prior decisions, this one feels like a home run. 

For one, the Rams had two first-round picks this year. They acquired the 13th overall pick from the Falcons after making a deal in last year's draft, so they'll still have a top 15 pick this year even after sending the 29th overall pick to Kansas City. 

Going into the offseason, the Rams' biggest need was arguably at cornerback. With starting corner Cobie Durant and backup corner Roger McCreary both set to hit free agency, it was pretty clear that the Rams were going to have to make a move and they did that in the most Snead way possible: By making a blockbuster trade. 

The Rams aren't just getting a starting corner, they're getting one of the best young corners in the NFL. McDuffie is just 25 years old and in his four year career, he's already been voted an All-Pro twice (He was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and a second-team All-Pro in 2024). He can shut down one side of the field and if you combine that with the Rams' strong pass rush, this defense should cause nightmares for opposing quarterbacks in 2026. 

The Rams are going to have to give McDuffie a hefty extension as part of this trade, but they have more than $40 million in salary cap space, so they have the money to get a contract done. 

The Rams know the clock is ticking on Matthew Stafford's career, so this move proves that Snead is trying to do everything possible to bring another Super Bowl to Los Angeles before Stafford decides to call it quits for good. Back in 2019, Snead traded two first-round picks to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey, who was 25 at the time, like McDuffie is now. The deal ended up paying off big time because Ramsey helped the Rams win a Super Bowl just two years later. It won't be surprising if the Rams see the same type of pay off here, except they might not have to wait two years this time, because they already have one of the best rosters in the NFL and it just got better with the addition of McDuffie.