After trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie, the Los Angeles Rams were quick to sign him to an extension and make him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. The reported numbers for McDuffie’s contract were four years for $124 million with $100 million of that guaranteed. However, the reported numbers of contracts rarely tell the full story, and that’s also the case with McDuffie.
Below are the details of the contract via OverTheCap,
“McDuffie’s 2026 and 2027 salaries and roster bonuses are fully guaranteed at signing. If on the roster on the 5th day of the 2027 league year his 2028 salary is guaranteed. On the 5th day of the 2028 league year, $23 million of his 2029 salary is guaranteed. If on the roster on the 5th day of the 2029 league year he will earn a $5 million roster bonus.”
Per Spotrac, the details of the contract are:
- $50M guaranteed at signing (signing bonus + 2026 compensation + 2027 compensation)
- $27M of 2028 compensation fully guarantees the 5th league day of 2027 (injury at sign)
- $23M of 2029 compensation fully guarantees the 5th league day of 2028
- 2027 Roster Bonus: $15M (guaranteed, due the 5th league day of 2027)
- 2030 Roster Bonus: $5M (5th league day of 2030)
- Per Game Active Bonus: $40,000 ($680,000)
While it appears that McDuffie doesn’t have any guaranteed money after 2027, his 2028 salary actually becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of the new league year. The same can be said about his 2029 salary. Therefore, the Rams don’t actually have an out in McDuffie’s contract until after the 2029 season.
That structure does make McDuffie tradable after this season before the fifth day of the 2027 league year, but in all likelihood, he will be on the roster over the next three years.
With the contract, the Rams did seemingly lower McDuffie’s 2026 cap hit. The former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback was set to count for $13.6 million against the cap this year and that was seemingly brought down to $10.8 million. However, his cap hit jumps to $30.8 million next year and if he’s still on the roster in 2029, McDuffie will count for $33.3 million against the cap. If the Rams were to cut McDuffie after the 2029 season, they would save $30.1 million.
It’s essentially a four year, $107.5 million contract for McDuffie which is an average of $26.9 million per year. That’s still expensive, but it’s still cheaper than the $31 million APY that was initially reported.
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