Chiefs’ Brett Veach reveals talks with Trent McDuffie’s agents resume this week
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs plan renewed talks with Trent McDuffie this week after prior discussions.
- Kansas City remains roughly $6M over cap after Mahomes restructure and Danna release.
- Team weighs extensions, trades and backups as Watson, Cook and Chenal hit free agency.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ secondary could look different in 2026, given the contract situations of three starters.
All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is entering his fifth-year option season, and cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook are due to become unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins on March 11.
McDuffie is among the best in the league at his position, so signing him to a long-term extension could mean committing to an annual value in the range of $25 million to $30 million. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and McDuffie’s representatives discussed a contract last offseason but did not reach an agreement.
Speaking in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Veach revealed he plans to meet with McDuffie’s team Wednesday.
“We’ve had a lot of dialogue with Trent last spring, last summer,” Veach said. “Looking forward to get with him. Obviously, Trent’s a great player, and we’ll see what we can do there. (I’d) certainly love to have Trent back for the long term.”
Veach and the Chiefs recently restructured quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract and released defensive end Mike Danna to free up a combined $44 million in cap space. Even so, Kansas City remains an estimated $6 million over the cap.
The Chiefs will have to address that before turning their attention to free agency.
“Everything’s kind of a puzzle,” Veach said. “I think with a lot of our players, I don’t think that there’s any one of our free agents that we look and say we don’t want these guys back. They’re really good players, and we’ve won a lot of games with them. It’s just a matter of trying to put the puzzle together in what else is going to be out there — their price points and fitting the whole thing together. I think what we do is we just remain in contact and keep that dialogue open.”
In addition to Cook and Watson, Veach noted that linebacker Leo Chenal will also hit the open market.
“All these guys, we’re monitoring,” Veach said. “We’re trying to get as many back as we can. Obviously, it’s unrealistic to think you will, but we have to be able to go in different directions. There’s sometimes where we don’t think a guy’s going to come back here and then all of a sudden because you didn’t execute something or someone else took a different deal, things open back up. “I think you just need to remain flexible and fluid during the situation — always have layers of backup plans when you enter this part of the season.”
That reality is why the Chiefs may consider trading McDuffie to a team prepared to sign him long term in exchange for draft capital. If McDuffie is moved and Watson walks, KC’s projected starting cornerbacks would be Kristian Fulton and Nohl Williams.
And if Cook leaves, the safety room becomes thin: Only Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks are currently under contract for 2026.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Brett Veach reveals talks with Trent McDuffie’s agents resume this week."
