Both guard Trey Smith and edge rusher George Karlaftis have finalized long-term Chiefs extensions this offseason. Cornerback Trent McDuffie has long been known to be high on the list of players next in line for a deal of their own. 
Talks on an extension for the 24-year-old have taken place through the summer, with the goal emerging of an agreement being reached in time for Week 1. With days remaining before Kansas City’s season begins on Friday, however, that will not be the case. ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports a deal is not expected in time for the Chiefs’ opening game.
“Moving forward now, really, it’s just about the season and about [Friday’s] game,” McDuffie said (via Taylor). “I’m not too worried about the contract. That can just happen in the [next] offseason. Let’s just go out there and have a great year.”
Extensions can of course be finalized during the campaign, but based on McDuffie’s comments that is unlikely in this case. Kansas City picked up his fifth-year option this spring, meaning a 2026 salary of $17.6MM is in store. A multi-year pact will cost much more on an annual basis, something illustrated by this year’s movement in the cornerback market. Jaycee Horn secured $25MM per year with the Panthers before Derek Stingley Jr. moved the bar to $30MM on his Texans extension. Most recently, the Jets have made Sauce Gardner the top earner at the position with an average of $30.1MM annually.
McDuffie will look to join the elites at the CB position whenever his second Chiefs contract is in hand. Kansas City does not have a long history of committing to corners on a lucrative deal in recent years. Charvarius Ward was allowed to depart in free agency in 2022, and last offseason saw the team place the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed before trading him. With two All-Pro nods (first-team in 2023, second-team in ’24) to his name already, McDuffie is an obvious candidate to be treated as an exception from an organizational standpoint.
As Taylor notes, conversations about an extension have taken place over the past six weeks. Since no agreement was reached during that time, however, attention will turn to the coming season. The Chiefs’ efforts to return to the Super Bowl will depend in large part on how McDuffie fares in leading a secondary which added Kristian Fulton in free agency. Another standout campaign would stand to raise the value of a new pact in McDuffie’s case when negotiations resume in the middle of the season or next spring.