Who Has The Leverage For Trent McDuffie Extension?

[fuzzy]

I've seen people on social media and other websites say that the Chiefs messed up by not extending McDuffie right after the Super Bowl. The logic being that the price is only going to go up. First, that assumes that McDuffie and his agent were willing to immediately sign and we don't know that.

Second, does McDuffie actually have the leverage here? Let's assume McDuffie wants to reset the corner market. That will be over 30M APY after we just recently saw Stingley sign his deal.

The Chiefs are paying 4M in 2025 for McDuffie. And 13M for McDuffie in 2026. That's what he's under contract for. His name is on the dotted line. Then in 2027 we can franchise tag for a below market value price. And we could even tag him again in 2028 for probably below market price. That's 4 full seasons of below market pay.

If Veach decided to play hardball here we could delay McDuffie's free agency until he is 29 years old without ever having to pay him market value.

Are there any NFL teams who want to break the bank for a 29 year corner? This isn't QB or OL or DL where guys can play forever and remain elite well into their 30s. A 29 year old corner is not a good candidate for a long term, mega deal unless the guaranteed money is very low.

Makes you really consider, it seems like the Chiefs have all the leverage here. Not McDuffie.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by srvy

Eventually, Duff is going to have a 6 to 7 int year, he's too good not to. No int's last year. I just don't see that lasting. Veach knows that is a big bargaining chip. Extend now while you can afford him.

Huh? He had his first two career interceptions last season. For him to have 6-7 interceptions would indicate he is being thrown at a lot which is not going to be the case. And that's a good thing.