How Bills Cornerback Set Stage for Trent McDuffie Extension

The Chiefs now have a working template for Trent McDuffie’s next contract. Per multiple reports on Saturday, the Buffalo Bills have come to terms with cornerback Christian Benford on a four-year, $76 million deal.

If Kansas City doesn’t lock down McDuffie on an extension this spring, the Chiefs can buy time by exercising the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.

While making that move seems like a foregone conclusion for the Chiefs, the decision isn’t as obvious for some teams. Clubs have until May 1 to exercise fifth-year options on players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft.

McDuffie is scheduled to make just over $2.6 million in base salary this year and stands to make substantially more next season due to his playing time so far.

Benford, 24, entered the NFL as Buffalo’s sixth-round selection in the 2022 draft, five rounds after Kansas City traded up to select McDuffie at 21st overall on Night 1. Earlier this month, Jim Wyman from Pro Football Focus gave McDuffie an 82.0 overall grade in 2024, tied with Arizona’s Garrett Williams for the third-highest mark among NFL cornerbacks in 2024. Benford (79.3) ranked sixth.

“McDuffie is about as well-rounded a cornerback as the league has to offer,” Wyman wrote, “earning PFF grades of at least 80.0 in run defense (81.6), tackling (80.0) and pass rush (88.6) while narrowly missing that number in coverage (79.2).

“The Chiefs liked to use McDuffie on cornerback blitzes, and while he didn’t blitz nearly as often as his absurd 70 times in 2023, he still generated pressure on seven of his 23 pass-rushing snaps, four of which resulted in sacks.”

And because Steve Spagnuolo has used McDuffie, 24, in varying roles during his first three seasons, his statistics compared to Benford are somewhat apples and oranges. McDuffie has just two career interceptions, with 27 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles and 4½ sacks. Benford has five interceptions, 25 passes defensed and one sack.

Both players have become central figures in the well-established Bills-Chiefs rivalry during the Patrick Mahomes-Josh Allen era. In the cornerbacks’ three-year careers, the clubs have already met twice in the playoffs and three times during the regular season.

Benford helped Buffalo advance to the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City last season after the Bills shed several high-priced veterans.

“Benford has continued to solidify himself as the Bills’ No. 1 cornerback,” Wyman said. “He followed up his breakout 2023 season with another strong showing in 2024. Tackling was his highest-graded category, as his 89.4 PFF tackling grade trailed only Pat Surtain II. Benford has missed just nine tackles in his three-year NFL career — and six were in his rookie season.”

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