The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers less than a week ago. There will be no bigger storyline involving one player switching teams prior to the NFL trade deadline, if only because most NFL teams would never consider trading a player of Parsons' talent. Micah is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL, and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He is also just 26 years old. But, the Cowboys are gonna Cowboy, especially with Jerry Jones in charge. In comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs ought to be thanking their lucky stars for a stable front office.
The Chiefs are no stranger to strenuous contract talks. They negotiated such a deal with Chris Jones last offseason, and even traded away wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the not-so-distant past when those talks broke down. This offseason, Trey Smith and Trent McDuffie were up, among others. Smith already got his deal, worth $94 million over four years. McDuffie would be next, but it doesn't seem like the two sides are particularly close.
Trent McDuffie isn't worried about getting his Chiefs extension
Thanks to the winning culture the Chiefs have built over the years – and their tendency to pay their own when the time comes – McDuffie isn't all that concerned with waiting.
"Moving forward now, really, it's just about the season and about [Friday's] game," McDuffie said. "I'm not too worried about the contract. That can just happen in the [next] offseason. Let's just go out there and have a great year."
McDuffie will earn a base salary of just over $2.6 million this season. He is one of the best cornerbacks in the AFC West, which is why the Chiefs were willing to trade L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans last offseason. McDuffie has all but taken his place, and the Chiefs trust their young secondary to follow suit.
"We definitely have had dialogue," Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said last week. "He's a guy that's obviously a special player. We're going to continue that dialogue, and hopefully something gets worked out. I think things have been good. Trent is obviously going to be a priority."
Rather than playing games with McDuffie, or negotiating in the media, Veach said what the player himself ought to already know. The Chiefs will make him a priority. McDuffie isn't going anywhere, unlike Parsons, whose trust was taken advantage of by Jones.
How Chiefs and Cowboys differ in contract talks
For one, McDuffie isn't the name brand that Parsons is. He doesn't have his own podcast (as far as I know, and if so it isn't nearly as popular), and he doesn't play for the Dallas Cowboys. All of those aspects played a role in getting Parsons traded in the first place. Jerry Jones claimed he and Parsons agreed to an extension behind closed doors in one of their many mentorship meetings, though Parsons denied this. Heck, if his representation wasn't present, then how could Parsons feel comfortable enough to agree to a new deal of that magnitude to begin with?
The Chiefs did exercise the fifth year of McDuffie's rookie contract for 2026, so if the two sides don't agree to a new contract next season, he'll make over $13 million. That certainly isn't the pay grade he expects long term, but at least it's an improvement over his 2025 salary.
"I love being a Chief," McDuffie said in late July. "I know the contract stuff will come."
The good news for McDuffie is he likely isn't going anywhere. He's in the middle of his prime and still on an affordable contract. Veach also didn't rule out the likelihood of negotiating with McDuffie and his representation during the regular season, a tactic not every franchise is open to.
But again: This is the Chiefs. They are arguably the most well-run organization in the sport right now, and the on-field product suggests as much. The Cowboys, meanwhile, haven't won a Super Bowl in decades and is mired in postseason futility. Without Parsons, they'll be lucky to even make it that far in 2025.
What separates good teams from great ones is often culture and how they treat their own. The Chiefs are by no means perfect in that regard, but they sure do have a leg up on Dallas – not that that's saying much to begin with.