The Kansas City Chiefs have traded away a star cornerback, and it looks like it caught Patrick Mahomes by surprise.

The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Rams' first-round picks at No.29, along with fifth, sixth-round pick in 2026, and a third-round pick in 2027 for the NFL draft.

Mahomes took to X, writing a single word, "D***." And he wasn't alone in this move. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy dropped a "noooooooooooooooo" while defensive star Charles Omenihu added a simple “Wheww.”

And we can see why. The two-time Super Bowl Champion has been an impactful playmaker for the Chiefs with an overall production of 178 solo tackles, 8 forced fumbles, and 3 interceptions. But for the team, it meant taking a massive financial hit. With the trade, the Chiefs are below the salary cap limit, leaving room for expansion.

Interestingly, the destination wasn't too surprising, considering McDuffie admitted it last year. "Let’s think. If I could play for another team, I’d probably want to play close to my family, so that would probably be the L.A. Rams so that my family could come see every single game."

Now the question is, with this unexpected trade, will the Chiefs be able to find a suitable replacement for McDuffie on defense?

Who Can Take Up McDuffie’s Space to Support Mahomes

The Chiefs need to find a player who can take up McDuffie's role. One player is Seahawks' cornerback Josh Jobe, who had 90 solo tackles, 0.5 sack and an interception.

Another player who takes up McDuffie's position is  Nick Cross, with 72 solo tackles,2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. He fits the image of what GM Veach is searching for.

Another star comes from the Baltimore Ravens, Alohi Gilman, who helped the Los Angeles Chargers as well for safety coverage in 2025, recording 39 solo tackles.

Even among all of these players, who do you think can take McDuffie's role to support Mahomes?

Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar