Derek Stingley Jr.'s contract extension with Texans doesn't mean what you think it means for Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie
Derek Stingley Jr.'s contract extension with the Houston Texans will impact the Kansas City Chiefs' ability to retain CB Trent McDuffie, but not in the way you might think. On Monday, Stingley agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the Texans, which will place him among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL. The initial reporting […]
Derek Stingley Jr.'s contract extension with the Houston Texans will impact the Kansas City Chiefs' ability to retain CB Trent McDuffie, but not in the way you might think.
On Monday, Stingley agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the Texans, which will place him among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL. The initial reporting on the deal showed that there was more than meets the eye with his contract. No, he won't be the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
What does this mean for the Chiefs and McDuffie, exactly? It gives them a realistic starting point for negotiating a long-term extension. It also matches the timeline Brett Veach previously discussed for both McDuffie and George Karlaftis.
No, the Chiefs didn't wait too long to extend Trent McDuffie
There seems to be a misconception in the Chiefs Kingdom that McDuffie will now cost more OR that the team cannot re-sign him because they waited too long to get a deal done. Stingley's deal doesn't mean that. It's quite the opposite. This contract provides a very clear path for Brett Veach and McDuffie's camp to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II's contract extensions earlier this offseason had little overall impact. McDuffie's deal always hinged on Stingley or Sauce Gardner signing a deal beforehand. They were the two players with the most power to set a market as Stingley and Gardner were top-five picks in the 2022 NFL draft and the only two players selected before McDuffie.
What wasn't initially reported regarding Stingley's deal matters a lot. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Texans' deal for Stingley includes the fifth-year option for the 2026 NFL season. Why wasn't that included in the initial report? Because that'd bring the APY on his contract down to numbers that wouldn't make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history (around $23M). It wouldn't even make him the highest-paid cornerback in this free agency cycle. The Chiefs could whip up a four-year contract that doesn't look too dissimilar to the one Stingley signed, including that fifth-year option number, which is a fully guaranteed $13.6M for McDuffie.
McDuffie's deal will very likely slot somewhere between Gardner and Stingley, if not between Stingley and Horn. As silly as it sounds, teams take accolades into account when it comes to contract extensions. Gardner has earned Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, two First-Team All-Pro's, and two Pro Bowl honors. Stingley has earned one First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection. Where McDuffie has the two of them beat? He's the only one to have won a Super Bowl with his team, let alone two. That could factor into negotiations and drive the price between Stingley and Gardner.
As far as affording a long-term deal, consider where the salary cap went in 2025 and where it'll be in 2027 when his first real year of new money will kick in. Also consider the contracts that will be off the books by then (Travis Kelce? Jawaan Taylor?). There is no question of whether they can afford to extend McDuffie. It's just a matter of when and where exactly the deal slots in compared to Stingley and Gardner.
Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 NFL free agency haul could’ve looked much different on the defensive side of the ball
The Chiefs wanted to retain S Justin Reid and sign CB Charvarius Ward in free agency.
