Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Rams
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Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs participates in warmups before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Los Angeles Rams’ trade for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie has altered the landscape in both the AFC and NFC, vaulting them to the top of the 2026 Super Bowl odds and sparking a slew of reactions, including from Patrick Mahomes and Puka Nacua.
The deal was a long-time coming. The Rams’ cornerback play was the subject of much debate amid an injury-marred 2025 campaign.
Moreover, the Rams are not quite done following the trade for McDuffie.
Patrick Mahomes, Puka Nacua Lead Reactions to Rams’ Trent McDuffie Trade
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
GettyPuka Nacua #12 of the Los Angeles Rams answers questions from the media following practice at Rams’ Organized Team Activities.
McDuffie joins the Rams after four seasons with the Chiefs. He was the 21st pick of the 2022 draft. McDuffie helped Mahomes and Co. win two Super Bowls and earned First Team All-Pro recognition in 2023. He was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2024.
“Damn…” Mahomes posted on X on March 4.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III posted, “It’s a business and sometimes it sucks” in response.
Nacua, McDuffie’s former teammate on the Washington Huskies during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, reposted an old message to his newest Rams colleague that read, “22!!!!! I see you,” and captioned it with a face wearing sunglasses emoji.
Rams safety Quentin Lake posted an image of himself and McDuffie together in high school.
“Mater Dei all the way to LA!” Lake said in the post, circling himself and McDuffie and adding“#MDBoyz.”
Quentin Lake
Mater Dei all the way to LA! #MDBoyz
Ex-NFL safety Tyrann Mathieu posted that the Rams can be “booked” for the Super Bowl now.
Even the NFL chimed in, posting that the Rams are ”ALL IN. [triumphant emoji]” following the blockbuster deal, with the official start of the offseason one week away.
Rams Jump to Super Bowl Favorites
Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams
GettyTrent McDuffie #22 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on after a victory against the Houston Texans.
McDuffie getting traded to the Rams indeed shifted the NFL betting markets, with the entire offseason still yet to come.
“The Los Angeles Rams are now the consensus favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at sportsbooks after the Trent McDuffie deal, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks,” Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fawkes reported on X.
“Rams and Seahawks are +800 co-favorites at @BetMGM.”
That the game would be in their own backyard, SoFi Stadium, is not lost on those reacting in the wake of the development.
“The Rams won their last Super Bowl when it was played at SoFi Stadium, and that journey started with a blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford in the offseason,” Schefter said in another post.
“And now, the journey for the next one starts with a blockbuster trade for Trent McDuffie.”
TheRams.com’s J.B. Long posted that “Chiefs-Rams in Los Angeles makes for great Monday Night Football viewing in my experience.”
Trent McDuffie Already Making an Impact
Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams
GettyTrent McDuffie #22 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks out of the tunnel before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This move has more immediate significance, though, as a homecoming as well as a reunion for the Westminster native.
“Trent McDuffie played for Rams defensive coach Jimmy Lake at Washington, fits the team’s biggest defensive need, and is from Los Angeles,” ESPN’s Peter Schrager posted after the trade. “LA still holds on to the 13 pick, without being forced to draft a corner. From LA side, a whole lot to like about this deal.”
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue said McDuffie “gives the Rams a really solid” perimeter CB.
“They love to load up in nickel and dime but with safeties these days,” Rodrigue posted. “Having a top CB who can hold down the perimeter allows them to keep the math on their side (although he could kick inside in a pinch).”
Rams Set to Double Down With Trent McDuffie
Trent McDuffie
Jamie Squire/GettyTrent McDuffie #22 walks to the field during Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp.
The Rams’ trade for McDuffie was only part of their plan, specifically regarding the standout corner.
“When Trent McDuffie gets his new contract, which should be soon, it’s likely that he’s the new highest-paid CB in the NFL at more than $30.1M in new money,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X. “The #Rams, who acquired McDuffie and his $13.6M salary in 2026, will see it as an entirely new contract.”
Both the Rams and the Chiefs have histories of making deals like this one.
The Rams can only hope that their trade for McDuffie works out as well as the one for Stafford did in 2021.