Overview
- Yahoo Sports and Newsweek echoed Jesse Newell’s analysis that a trade is an offseason option rather than a confirmed plan.
- Newell estimated McDuffie might return value in the first-round range, using the Jets’ Sauce Gardner deal as a benchmark.
- Kansas City already picked up McDuffie’s 2026 fifth-year option at about $13 million, keeping him under team control.
- The 25-year-old earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024 and logged 63 tackles, one sack, one interception and seven passes defended in 13 games in 2025 after a knee shutdown.
- Discussion is tied to a tight cap outlook and broader uncertainty for the Chiefs, including questions about Patrick Mahomes’ early-2026 availability.