KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis will remain under contract to the Chiefs through the 2026 after the club, as expected, picked up the fifth-year option on their rookie contracts.
McDuffie signed a 4-year contract worth $13.99 million in 2022 as the No. 21 selection in the first round of the NFL Draft. He’s scheduled to make $13.632 million in 2026 under the option.
Karlaftis, the No. 30 selection in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, signed a four-year rookie deal worth $11.935 million. He’s slated to earn $15.196 million in 2026.
It was easy for the Chiefs to pick up both players’ options. McDuffie earned first-team All-Pro status in 2023 and was second team in 2024. Karlaft has 24 1/2 sacks in his career, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson (28 1/2), the No. 2 overall pick, among the 2022 draft class. McDuffie and Karlaftis are both two-time Super Bowl champions and have helped the Chiefs to the Super Bowl in each of their three seasons.
Next up are efforts to lock up both players to long-term extensions. McDuffie shares representation through Jimmy Sexton of CAA Football with guard Trey Smith, who is currently signed to the franchise tag with the Chiefs for the 2025 season and currently negotiating for a long-term deal.
McDuffie is expected to land a contract somewhere between the $30 million average per year earned by Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texas and the $25 million per year netted earlier this year by Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Sauce Gardner, the No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 draft by the New York Jets, could also land an extension that would reset the cornerback market.
Karlaftis has a market value of approximately $22.2 million as calculated by Spotrac. That would put him as the No. 7 highest-paid defensive end just behind Minnesota’s Jonathan Greenard ($22.3 million per year) and San Francisco’s Nick Bosa ($20.4 million).
