By every metric, 2025 was a down year for the Kansas City Chiefs and seemingly everyone is ready to call their run of dominance dead and buried. But a blockbuster trade the team just made could set them up for some future success.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs completed a trade with the Los Angeles Rams to send star cornerback Trent McDuffie to L.A. in exchange for a quartet of draft picks - including a first-round pick in this year's draft. McDuffie was solid but unremarkable in 2025 after earning All-Pro honors in the prior two seasons. The Rams seem determined to bring him back to elite form in 2026.
For star QB Patrick Mahomes, the trade leaves the Chiefs down a player he had clearly grown to appreciate. Taking to X shortly after the announcement hit the wire, Mahomes wrote simply "Damn.."
The Big Trade
It's hard to deny that the Chiefs got a serious haul in exchange for McDuffie. For the 2026 NFL Draft they got the 29th overall pick, a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. For the 2027 NFL Draft they got a third-round pick.
That's a pretty solid return for a player of almost any caliber at any position, let alone a cornerback coming off a down year.
But NFL fans quickly realized that the Rams are well-positioned to be an elite team in 2026 after narrowly missing the Super Bowl in 2025. A trade like this could be the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.
"Trent McDuffie + Jermod McCoy on the outside are going to transform the Rams defense from good to ELITE," one Rams fan declared.
"Good trade for the Rams. Mcduffie's a stud," wrote another.
"Rams secondary just went from a liability to a problem for the NFC," a third predicted.
© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images.
Ultimately, the deal could wind up being a win-win for the two teams. The Chiefs get some much-needed draft capital to meet a series of offseason needs in 2026 and 2027. The Rams get a player who can turn their biggest weakness into a strength in a conference filled to the brim with QBs who can push the ball down the field.
Of course, the Rams are taking the greater risk. As the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers learned the hard way, investing heavily into a single player on defense only really works if that player both stays healthy and delivers at an elite every week.
McDuffie spent the end of the 2025 season on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Will the Rams or Chiefs emerge as the true winners of this big trade?