Philadelphia Eagles fans might have been surprised to see a massive trade days before free agency begins involving a couple of teams they have grown to hate over the years.
The Los Angeles Rams traded their 29th overall pick, 2026 fifth and sixth rounds picks, and a 2027 third round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for cornerback Trent McDuffie. Over the last four years, McDuffie has established himself as one of the top young cornerbacks in the NFL, as he was named a first-team All-Pro in 2023.
It was also reported that the Rams and McDuffie are working on a contract extension. Knowing he might be getting top dollar, the Eagles will be curious to see how much he ends up getting.
Eagles closely monitoring Rams-Trent McDuffie contract negotiation
The biggest reason is that it will set the tone for how cornerbacks are paid over the next few years. Philly has a couple of All-Pro cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who will be due for contract extensions in the next year or two.
Mitchell was the Eagles' first-round pick in 2024, so in the 2027 offseason, he will be up for his fifth-year option to be picked up on his rookie contract. In 2027, DeJean will enter the final year of his four-year deal, and the Eagles will be forced to start discussing a contract extension with him. That puts the Eagles in a situation where, most likely, Mitchell and DeJean would get new contracts in 2027, so they are paired together.
Right now, the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL is Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner, who is getting $30.1 million per year, while Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is right behind him with $30 million per season. Eagles fans have to imagine that McDuffie could be looking at a deal around the same amount.
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How McDuffie gets paid will really determine what the Eagles do with Mitchell and DeJean in a few years. There is time, but general manager Howie Roseman has to start thinking about how he will pay his two young cornerbacks in the future.