The Kansas City Chiefs’ Trent McDuffie has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL since being drafted 21st overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, and while the Chiefs have exercised the fifth-year option worth $13 million, McDuffie has said he’d love a long-term contract.
Given his performance over the three seasons in the league, McDuffie is certainly going to demand a contract worth over $100 million. That may not be affordable to the Chiefs, and they could look to draft his replacement in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chiefs Predicted To Select Mansoor Delane in First Round of 2026 NFL Draft
The NFL’s cornerback market has exploded with recent contracts for Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II, and Derek Stingley Jr., and speculation about how much McDuffie could command is heating up. The two-time All-Pro has been on par, if not better, than Horn, Stingley, and Surtain in the last three years in the league, and whoever signs him next will have to reset the market again.
Surtain was selected ninth overall by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he received a four–year, $96 million contract extension that includes $77.5 million guaranteed last season. The Carolina Panthers extended Horn this offseason with a four–year, $100 million deal before the Houston Texans broke the record a week later with a three–year, $90 million deal for Stingley.
Stingley is also from the 2022 class, and over his three years in Houston, he has managed 136 tackles, including one sack, and 36 passes defended, including 11 interceptions. He came into his own last season with Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections.
McDuffie, meanwhile, has been a little more consistent in Kansas City and has earned a First-Team and Second-Team All-Pro selection. He has tallied 183 tackles, including 4.5 sacks, and 27 passes defended, including two interceptions. If McDuffie has a year like Stingley’s 2024 next season, the 24-year-old may well demand a contract worth over $30 million per year.
While the cornerback has claimed he would love to extend with the Chiefs, PFSN’s Joe DeLeone believes Kansas City is unlikely to pay such a high amount, and he predicts they will select Mansoor Delane out of LSU in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“With a change of scenery and a chance to showcase his talent against SEC receivers, Mansoor Delane will be a name to track in 2026. His length and hips make him a difficult defensive back to break away from,” he wrote.
Delane was a three-star recruit coming out of Archbishop Spalding High School and received offers from programs such as Boston College, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Louisville, and Vanderbilt before committing to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Standing at 6’0″ and 187 lbs, Delane impressed in his three years at Virginia Tech and tallied 54 tackles in each of his final two seasons. He racked up a career-high four interceptions in 2024 and was quickly snapped up by LSU in the transfer portal.
