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By Megan Armstrong
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On Feb. 5, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford confirmed he would return for an 18th season while accepting the 2025 NFL MVP award. That was all Rams general manager Les Snead needed to hear.
The Rams traded for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie last week. Los Angeles sent the Chiefs one of its 2026 first-round draft picks (No. 29), a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick in exchange for the 25-year-old two-time Super Bowl champion.
The McDuffie move revived Snead's reputation, which he earned from aggressive roster-building after acquiring Stafford from Detroit in January 2021. The Rams won Super Bowl LVI in Stafford's first year in L.A., and they're going all in on winning another championship in what could be Stafford's last year. They also locked McDuffie in as a face of the franchise for years to come.
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On Sunday night, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Rams and McDuffie agreed upon a four-year, $124 million extension, including $100 million guaranteed, which will make McDuffie the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The contract's $31 million average annual value eclipses Indianapolis Colts All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner ($30.1 million per year) and Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. ($30 million per year).
McDuffie's trade and extension will become official when the new league year begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. EST.
Since trading for McDuffie, the Rams became the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl next season. If that came true, the Rams would win the Super Bowl in their home stadium for a second time in six years.
Los Angeles came up just short of reaching Super Bowl LIX. After looking like the league's best offense all year — first in yards per game (394.6) and first in scoring (30.5 points) — the Rams couldn't get past the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks. Their NFC West rival beat them 31-27 in the NFC Championship Game. The cornerback position was the team's most glaring weakness — emphasis on was. In 2026, the Rams should strike fear into opponents on both sides of the ball.
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