Trent McDuffie’s trade has sparked plenty of buzz in Kansas City about Jaylon Watson’s future with the Kansas City Chiefs. But the cornerback doesn’t seem too interested in staying quiet about it. Shortly after McDuffie’s trade, Watson was seen reacting to a post suggesting he was getting paid one way or another, while also predicting the corner still has room for a few more rings.

“Mmmm,” Watson replied to that post on ‘X.’

Watson’s comment surfaced right after the Chiefs traded McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams. In the aftermath of that move, reports quickly began suggesting that Kansas City is now expected to prioritize keeping Watson around.

And looking at how things are shaping up, it’s not exactly hard to see the logic behind it. For starters, Watson signed his rookie deal after the Chiefs selected him in the seventh round (243rd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.

That deal, however, is set to expire following the 2025 season, which means the 27-year-old cornerback is heading straight into free agency. And heading into that market, it’s fair to say Watson has significantly boosted his stock. The reasoning isn’t complicated.

For a seventh-round pick, the corner has delivered far more than what most teams would expect from that draft slot. To put that into context, Watson has appeared in 53 games for Kansas City, starting 29 of them across four seasons. During that stretch, he has recorded 178 tackles, six passes defended, and two interceptions.

His 2025 season only added to that résumé. The corner set new career highs with 64 tackles and two interceptions while tying his career-best mark with six passes defended. And in the process, Watson has also been part of two Super Bowl-winning teams with the Chiefs.

It’s one of the reasons why NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo thinks that the Chiefs may already be preparing to make a serious push to keep him.

“Now you’ve got to decide what you want to do with Jaylen Watson. A guy that is extremely highly thought,” Garafolo said. “The Chiefs are going to make a run at Watson, who has really come along to a complete cornerback. He’s now shown that he can do a little bit of everything. He’s going to make a lot of it, and maybe that’s part of it. Maybe the Chiefs are saying we have to clear some space, because this is one of the guys we have to pay.”

At this point, Watson’s value to Kansas City goes beyond just numbers. With McDuffie now out of the picture, the Chiefs’ defense is already set to look different in 2026. And if they were to lose Watson as well, things could get significantly murkier for a team that still sees itself firmly in the Super Bowl hunt.

For now, it’s clear Watson will draw plenty of interest once free agency opens. Whether the Chiefs manage to bring him back or the corner ends up elsewhere remains to be seen. What is certain, though, is that KC has already parted ways with one of the top defenders on its roster.

Why did the Chiefs trade Trent McDuffie?

“You’re going to get me in trouble. 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,” Trent McDuffie said in August 2025, when asked what other team he’d like to play for if he didn’t play for the Chiefs.

Fast forward, and the 25-year-old corner is headed to the Rams after KC traded him this week. While it drew mixed reactions from his teammates, it naturally brings up the bigger question: why would Kansas City move on from a two-time Super Bowl-winning corner who also happens to be their second-best defender behind Chris Jones?

The reasoning, in reality, is fairly straightforward. The Chiefs entered the offseason more than $57 million over the salary cap. To start clearing space, they had already released right tackle Jawaan Taylor and defensive end Mike Danna.

Along the way, they also restructured Patrick Mahomes’ contract to create additional flexibility, prior to making those cuts.

Then there’s McDuffie’s contract situation. Last April, the Chiefs exercised the fifth-year option on his deal, making his 2026 salary of $13.6 million fully guaranteed.

That meant McDuffie was set to count $13.6 million against Kansas City’s salary cap next season. By moving him now, the Chiefs were able to move that number off their books.

And all of this ties into a broader offseason strategy. Kansas City is widely expected to target two key positions. We’re talking about edge rusher and running back, through free agency and the draft.

The team has already created cap flexibility and is expected to make additional moves if needed. On top of that, the Chiefs also received four draft picks in the trade. It includes the 29th overall selection in this year’s draft.

So when you put everything together, the decision to move on from McDuffie looks less like a surprise and more like a calculated roster move. Now the attention shifts elsewhere. Think of McDuffie’s potential extension with the Rams, Jaylon Watson’s possible re-signing in Kansas City, and whatever roster moves the Chiefs decide to make next.