Chiefs $13 Million Playmaker Named KC’s Most ‘Underpaid’ Player

Getty Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.

One of the main reasons the Kansas City Chiefs have won back-to-back championships is because they got a high level of play out of players that are on cheap contracts.

One of those players is third-year cornerback Trent McDuffie, who Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon believes is Kansas City’s most underpaid player following peak 2024 free agency.

“The first-team All-Pro sophomore is slated to count just $7.3 million against the Chiefs’ salary cap in the next two seasons combined,” Gagnon wrote on April 12.

Trent McDuffie Slated to Become Kansas City’s CB1 in 2024

McDuffie, who was the 21st overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, has quickly risen to stardom in his two years with the Chiefs.

After an exceptional rookie season, McDuffie continued to show development in year two in Kansas City. He earned an 82.9 PFF defensive grade during the 2023 regular season, which ranked eighth among all NFL cornerbacks.

McDuffie has shown an ability to play along the boundary and in the slot, and can shadow opposing receivers (though he hasn’t needed to because of the presence of L’Jarius Sneed). Simply put — he has lived up to the expectations of a first-round pick that the Chiefs traded up for.

That’s good news, as McDuffie has become much more valuable to Kansas City this offseason given what has transpired with the team’s secondary.

On March 29, the Chiefs traded Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round picks. The move was made because Kansas City could not meet Sneed’s contract demands after they franchise tagged him in hopes of agreeing on a multi-year contract with him.

With Sneed no longer in Kansas City, McDuffie has now been thrust into the CB1 role in the Chiefs secondary. On top of that, McDuffie will have a base salary of $4.1 million combined for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, according to Spotrac, which is a very cheap contract when considering his role and value to the team.

As it currently stands, Kansas City’s cornerback room consists of McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nic Jones, Chamarri Conner, Kelvin Joseph, Keith Taylor, and Ekow Boye-Doe.

Details For Mike Danna’s 3-Year Deal With Chiefs

The details of defensive end Mike Danna‘s three-year, $24 million contract with the Chiefs have now been revealed by Over The Cap.

Danna’s deal includes $13 million guaranteed and a $6.5 million signing bonus. His base salaries for the next three seasons are $2.25 million, $5.2 million, and $8.2 million respectively. He also has a $250,000 workout bonus for each of the next three seasons.

His cap hits for each of the next three seasons are $4.6 million, $8.1 million, and $11.1 million respectively.

“Oh man, it’s a blessing. I’m very grateful and very fortunate to be a part of this organization again,” Danna said during his press conference on April 10. “It feels great, I’ve just been betting on myself all these years, letting my play do the talking and being the kind of person who leads by example and is a hard worker. That’s all I am and that’s all I want to be known as. I’m just a grinder, and I’m so glad to be back.”