LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams became the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl once their trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie went public.
As a two-time Super Bowl champion himself, McDuffie is embracing the expectations of helping the Rams get back to the top after being tantalizingly close in each of the previous two seasons against teams that ended up winning it all.
“Like I said, this team is ready to go,” McDuffie said. “I don’t think I’m coming in here with a team that doesn’t understand the value that they have. So those little nuggets that I feel like I can just pour into guys that can get us over the hump, I’m going to do everything I can because that’s the end goal. And I know it’s the end goal bringing me in is the Lombardi Trophy, so everything we do to bring a ring back to this city is what I’m going to do.”
McDuffie was formally introduced by the Rams on Thursday, having joined in a blockbuster trade from Kansas City for the 29th overall pick, fifth-round and sixth-round picks in April’s draft and a third-round pick next year. He then signed a four-year contract extension that makes McDuffie the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history and will keep him with his hometown team through 2030.
Having played in three Super Bowls in four seasons with the Chiefs, the 25-year-old McDuffie has a good understanding of the margins that make the difference between success and failure.
For the Rams, who went 12-5 last season and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 23-17 in the NFC championship game, it was their inability to cover high-level wide receivers such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the most critical moments that kept them from securing the top seed in the conference or playing for a title.
In adding McDuffie, along with his former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson in free agency, the Rams expect to turn those mismatches in their favor.
McDuffie has defended 34 passes, made two interceptions and forced eight fumbles in 56 career regular-season games. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and received second-team recognition in 2024. McDuffie also offers flexibility to play on the outside or in the slot, though safety Quentin Lake has manned the nickelback position with great success under defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
“It don’t matter where you put me,” McDuffie said. “I’ll play safety. I’ll put my hand in the dirt. Like, I hope I don’t have to. But, really, I’m just out here wanting to play ball, you know. And no matter where you put me, I’m going to work, day in and day out, to make sure that I do my job at a very high level, and that’s the guy you’re getting.”
McDuffie’s ability to use short-area quickness to cover the “small shifty guys,” as Watson described it, is what sets him apart. But Watson, who signed a three-year contract that includes $34 million in guarantees, could be just as important with his 6-foot-2 and nearly 200-pound frame offering the stature to contend with the likes of new divisional foe Mike Evans.
“Me and Trent complement each other so well,” Watson said. “My strengths are the big receivers. So we should be pretty diverse. We should be able to match up pretty well against a lot of different looks we get."
McDuffie and Watson came into the league together as part of the 2022 draft class, with the Chiefs selecting Watson out of Washington State 222 picks after taking his Apple Cup rival McDuffie.
Watson was hoping to start his professional career in Kansas City but assumed the drafting of McDuffie and fourth-round pick Joshua Williams would prevent that, only to find himself taken in the seventh round.
Four years later, Watson approached free agency with an eye toward helping address the Rams’ deficiencies.
“Then they traded for Trent, and I knew he was going to be the highest-paid in the league, I was like, ‘Not going to the Rams.’ So, yeah, it’s a full circle moment,” said Watson, who has defended 24 passes and made three interceptions in 53 career regular-season games.
Together, McDuffie and Watson are ready for the expectations their arrival will bring to the Rams.
“Doesn’t matter what’s on paper,” Watson said. “You got to do what you got to do, take care of what’s in front of you one game at a time, and hopefully when it’s all said and done we can get there.”
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