Patrick Mahomes loves being a Kansas City Chief. The superstar quarterback has long committed the balance of his NFL career to playing in Kansas City -- his contract there runs for the remainder of the 2020s and into the following decade. So far, the 29-year-old has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles from five appearances; many fans expect Mahomes, a two-time MVP, to challenge Tom Brady's record of seven Super Bowl victories, the most for any player.
However, Mahomes' love for the Chiefs organization stands to be tested a little bit this offseason. Kansas City's salary cap crunch means several players will leave and younger replacements -- mainly through the NFL draft -- are going to come in. The constraints may be such that they cost the Chiefs one of their most important players, someone who helps the Chiefs' offense keep a lead whenever they get it.
Chiefs play the waiting game with McDuffie
Almost since he was announced as the 21st overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, cornerback Trent McDuffie has been one of the NFL's elite players at the position. In only three seasons, McDuffie has won the Super Bowl twice, and he merited selection to the All-Pro first team in 2023. But with his rookie contract starting to wind down, McDuffie is ready to cash in and earn a significant payday -- which just got more difficult for the Chiefs to offer, after the Houston Texans on Monday extended rising star corner Derek Stingley for three more years at $30 million per season.
The cap space created by Mahomes and Chris Jones restructuring their existing contracts could now be eaten up with a McDuffie extension; Stingley's market-setting extension could change everything about the Chiefs' offseason plans and hamstring Kansas City's efforts to add more experienced talent around Mahomes, Jones, and Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs have always made it clear that they have boundaries when it comes to contract negotiations. It was the reason Kansas City opted to trade Tyreek Hill to Miami rather than committing to paying him a record salary (at the time); it's why the Chiefs dealt star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans last year, and Sneed went on to play only five games for the team that "earned" the #1 pick in the 2025 draft.
It's hard to second-guess general manager Brett Veach, leading the Chiefs' front office for as long as he has. But getting a McDuffie deal done sooner might have been the prudent move for a franchise that has long had to contend with salary cap constraints in pursuit of more championships.