NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams are working on a trade to send star cornerback Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles in exchange for several draft picks, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the terms of the trade have not been finalized. Kansas City is expected to get the 29th overall pick in the upcoming draft, and ESPN reported the Rams will send fifth-round and sixth-round picks this spring along with a third-round pick next year.
Advertisement
The deal would fill the Rams’ biggest roster need by adding an elite cornerback to their mediocre secondary. Los Angeles finished 19th in the NFL in pass defense last season, undercutting the work of a strong defensive line and the NFL’s most productive offense.
A two-time Super Bowl champion and a strong coverage defender who also excelled in pressuring quarterbacks and delivering big hits during his first four NFL seasons, McDuffie was a first-team AP All-Pro selection in 2023 and a second-team choice in 2024.
McDuffie, a first-round pick in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will make $13.6 million this season, though the Rams already are likely working on a long-term deal.
The Chiefs would have been unable to fit a long-term contract with McDuffie under their salary cap, having already doled out big contracts to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, defensive linemen Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, and offensive linemen Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.
Advertisement
With this extra draft capital, the Chiefs will attempt to pry open a second Super Bowl window for Mahomes by boosting the talent around him. Kansas City will also continue its recent tradition of parting ways with its best defensive backs when they reach eligibility for their second contracts: Two years ago, Kansas City traded L’Jarius Sneed to Tennessee.
The Rams’ cornerbacks were a clear flaw in last season’s powerhouse team, which reached the NFC championship game before falling to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. After failing to land any…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rams-chiefs-working-trade-sending-180918842.html
Author : GREG BEACHAM
Publish date : 2026-03-04 18:09:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
