WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Having won back-to-back Super Bowls within a span of three straight appearances while a member of the Chiefs, new Rams cornerback [Trent McDuffie](/team/players-roster/trent-mcduffie/) knows what it takes to climb the NFL mountaintop. That run by Kansas City followed the Rams' own Super Bowl LVI-winning 2021 season.
Widely viewed as a contender this year, especially after being one win away from the Super Bowl last year, the Rams acquired the two-time All-Pro cornerback in a trade with the Chiefs to address the cornerback position, then signed him to a lucrative contract extension.
Simply put, McDuffie was brought in to be a difference-maker in helping Los Angeles achieve that ultimate goal. Asked how he views being in that position, he indicated one of the best things he can offer is the type of teammate he'll be.
"I feel like I've genuinely understood what it takes to be an NFL football player, in the journey and how much it takes to build a Super Bowl team," McDuffie said in his introductory press conference. "And a big thing for me was (Chiefs head coach) Andy Reid's philosophy on just, 'let your personality show.' Like that thing always rings in my head, because obviously, as a team, it's a lot of different players, a lot of different guys who are from different areas of the country. And you all got to come in here and believe in the same thing, believe in the same goal, fight for the same thing. And if you're not a good human being, if you're not somebody that can listen and understand when guys are having a bad day, and pick 'em up, (when) guys are having great days and keep lifting them up, I feel like it can be hard to get guys motivated, because it's a long season, and playoffs are long, and you get to the Super Bowl and that's a long week. So I feel like more of those kinds of things, and those nuggets, are what I feel like I can bring to this team."
McDuffie already has two Rams teammates who can speak to that thanks to pre-existing relationships with wide receiver Puka Nacua and safety Quentin Lake. McDuffie overlapped with Nacua for two years at the University of Washington, and prior to that overlapped with Lake briefly at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.
It was Nacua who was the first Rams teammate to call him after the news broke, and McDuffie could hear the excitement over the phone - literally.
"He was just screaming at the top of his lungs," McDuffie said. "I'm like, 'Puka, I missed this bro, I missed this energy.'"
Nacua was not the only one thrilled about his Southern California homecoming. A native of Orange County, McDuffie's family joined him as he officially signed his contract extension Thursday morning and toured the Rams' practice facility.
"Nothing but smiles," McDuffie said of their reaction to coming home to continue his NFL career. "Everyone's really excited. Family, friends. And a big thing was really just, they can come to see games. It's hard having to jump on a plane every week and fly three hours and try to figure out hotels and stuff in Kansas City. So being able to drive 20 minutes to SoFi (Stadium) and see a game every week whenever it's a home game is really fun, and I'm excited for that."
McDuffie reunites with cornerback and former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson in Los Angeles, with the Rams signing Watson to a three-year deal. After news of McDuffie's trade to the Rams broke, McDuffie called Watson and told him "we might get you, keep an open mind!"
"And literally, it (news of Watson's signing) dropped and I called him again, just like Puka, screaming at the top of my lungs, like, 'Bro, look at this, can you believe it?'" McDuffie said. "And he's one of those guys that I love to tell his story. He's a seventh-round pick. Not a lot of people believed in him. He worked hard day in, day out, and again, one of those guys that was able to live out his dreams as a Kansas City Chief. And just the relationship and the respect I've had for J-Wat, knowing what he's going to bring to this team, the hard work, the grit, the attitude, and just the overall, I'd say, swag of being a football player, I think it'll be really helpful just having both of us in here, and just adding to the culture."
Even before he became a Ram, and even before their 2025 season, McDuffie knew what that culture looked like from afar, whether it be the time he spent talking ball on the phone with Rams head coach Sean McVay, or becoming familiar with McVay's coaching style during the Rams' last appearance on NFL Films' _Hard Knocks_ docuseries.
Under McVay, one of the hallmarks of that culture has been allowing players be their authentic selves and letting their personalities shine. In that facet alone, he'll help sustain what has made this place special as it works to recapture what made that ultimate goal so close to achieving.
"I don't think I'm coming in here with a team that doesn't understand the value that they have," McDuffie said. "So those little nuggets that I feel that I can just pour into guys that can get us over the hump, I'm going to do everything I can for them. Because that's the end goal. I know it's the end goal here, bringing me in, is the Lombardi Trophy. So everything we can do to bring it back to the city would be what I'm going to do."