All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie headlined a blockbuster trade between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. McDuffie joined his hometown Rams, while the Chiefs netted four draft picks, including a 2026 first-rounder (No. 29). The Rams then reportedly gave McDuffie the richest cornerback contract in NFL history.
While the NFL world talked about McDuffie, he was thinking about Jaylen Watson, his teammate in Kansas City since the Chiefs picked McDuffie in the first round and Watson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“I was calling him two days before they even signed him,” McDuffie told reporters during his Rams introductory presser on Thursday, as per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “I’m like, ‘Bruh, you never know. We might get you. We might get you. Keep an open mind.'”
When the legal tampering window opened on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Los Angeles had agreed to terms with Watson, who became an unrestricted free agent this week. McDuffie’s and Watson’s deals both became official after the new league year began on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST.
McDuffie said he called Watson again after news broke that Watson was following him to the Rams: “Screaming at the top of my lungs, like, ‘Bro, look at this. Can you believe it?'”
McDuffie and Watson developed into crucial pieces of a defense that led the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In a roundabout way, Watson owes his budding NFL stardom to McDuffie.
Watson’s breakout moment came in Week 2 in 2022. He started in place of an injured McDuffie and snagged a 99-yard pick-six to give the Chiefs a fourth-quarter lead against the Los Angeles Chargers. Over the next four seasons, according to NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, Watson’s tight-window rate forced in coverage (30.4%) across over 200 targets ranked fifth in the league.
“Seventh-round pick, not a lot of people believed in him,” McDuffie said at his presser. “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. 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, the just the overall swag of being a football player. I think it’ll be really helpful having both of us in here and kind of just adding to the culture.”
The consensus belief is that McDuffie and Watson automatically elevate the Rams’ cornerback room, which was the team’s most glaring weakness last season. In 2023, McDuffie, who earned All-Pro as a slot corner, and L’Jarius Sneed formed the most lockdown corner duo in the NFL. Now that Watson has developed into a similarly physical, press-coverage player, he can complement McDuffie in a similar fashion.
That season ended with the Chiefs covered in confetti. After the McDuffie trade, the Rams became the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl next season. Adding Watson strengthened those odds.
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.