Trent McDuffie can add NFL’s highest-paid cornerback to his resume after coming to terms on a four-year, $124 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The deal that comes just days after a blockbuster deal that sent the All-Pro cornerback from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Rams puts McDuffie on top of the heap when it comes to cornerbacks selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Speaking of the 2022 NFL Draft, McDuffie, who was selected with the No. 21 overall pick by the Chiefs, came as advertised. At 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, the Washington product held down the cornerback position for the Chiefs by helping the team win two Super Bowls in his brief tenure with the team.
Now, heading to a team in need of a top corner and a team with Super Bowl aspirations, McDuffie has an opportunity to really cement his name on the NFL’s top cornerback list. Is he worth the contract and four draft picks (including the No. 26 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft) the Rams invested to add him to the team?
Why McDuffie is worth the price
Entering the 2022 NFL Draft as a top -10 cornerback prospect, McDuffie lived up to the hype and expectations as a first rounder with the Chiefs. In his four seasons in Kansas City, McDuffie compiled 246 career tackles, 34 passes defensed and 3 interceptions. While the interceptions aren’t as high as other top cornerbacks, McDuffie proved to be a fearless, top-level defender in the secondary who has the type of impact to put the Rams over the top in the NFC.
While this was a major gain for the Rams, it is obviously a big loss for the Chiefs who opted to move away from McDuffie’s fifth-year option at $13.63 million. With the No. 9 and now No. 26 overall picks in the draft, Kansas City will look to replace McDuffie’s production.
The Rams, who have now extended McDuffie, are also signing former Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. The pair now gets to work their magic in Los Angeles and help a much-improved secondary now compliment what the Rams have built in the front seven.
2022 NFL Draft rewind: Where McDuffie ranks amongst top drafted corners
In a draft that landed 36 cornerbacks in the NFL, McDuffie was the third cornerback off the board behind Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 3 overall) and Sauce Garnder (No. 4 overall). Kaiir Elam was taken two spots after McDuffie with the No. 23 overall pick.
Anther notable cornerback taken in that draft who scored a big contract was Dallas Cowboys star DaRon Bland who was a mid-round pick in that draft along with other standout corners like New England Patriots’ Marcus Jones and Buffalo Bills’ Christian Benford. In looking at the top of the class, Stingley Jr and Gardner continue to live up to expectations, but neither have the Super Bowl experience McDuffie has.
Does the now top contract combined with the championship success make McDuffie the top cornerback from that draft class? That may be determined in going to a new team. But, if McDuffie can have the same type of impact that he had in Kansas City and helps the Rams win another ring, it would be hard to argue the Washington product as the top in his class.
Top note, out of the top cornerbacks selected in the first round, only Stingley Jr. remains with his originals team.