The Pittsburgh Steelers just wrapped up the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, which is where most organizations evaluate the talent in the draft pool while also meeting with other coaches and executives from around the league. The NFL's Scouting Combine is also where organizations meet with the representatives of some of their pending free agents, and it is where some trade talks can begin. There is a lot more going on at the Combine than just watching prospects run around and jump high, which is why NFL fans saw two trades go through on Monday morning as organizations returned back to their homebases from the event.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan looks on as the team sets up in front of fans to workout at the annual Friday Night Lights training camp practice in Latrobe, PA.
A lot of the offseason talk surrounding the Steelers has been about the offensive side of the ball. Many fans are wondering what the team is going to do at wide receiver and at quarterback, but there are also some questions to consider on defense. Both Asante Samuel Jr. and James Pierre are scheduled to hit the open market, and there is a world where both of them find homes elsewhere. They were the starters opposite Joey Porter Jr. later on in the 2025 season, so the organization might need to find another starting-caliber cornerback. Beat writer Mike DeFabo recently brought up a potential option for Pittsburgh in a piece for The Athletic.
"The Kansas City Chiefs’ salary-cap situation and two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie’s contract status could put the 25-year-old on the trading block," DeFabo wrote. "He’s currently set to count $13.6 million against the cap on his fifth-year option, but is also interested in an extension. If the Chiefs can’t get a deal done, at what price would the Steelers consider making an offer?"
McDuffie was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he has won two Super Bowls with the organization while being named an All-Pro twice as well. 2026 is the last year of his rookie deal as the Chiefs have already picked up his fifth-year option, but he likely is going to want an extension before the season begins. If the two sides cannot come to an agreement, he may be a candidate for a trade.
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Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie during a home game against the Houston Texans during the 2025 season.
Trading for a two-time All-Pro cornerback would be a big deal, and the most recent deal that would be considered similar to the Chiefs trading McDuffie would be when the Chiefs traded cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans during the 2024 offseason. The Chiefs received a swap of seventh-round picks, as well as a third-round selection in exchange for Sneed, while Tennessee had to extend the cornerback. Sneed did not have any All-Pro titles to his name when the trade occurred, but he was considered a game-changing cornerback.
A package for McDuffie might be similar, but probably a little bit better as he has proven to be an All-Pro caliber player and he is still only 25 years old. The need for a new deal would hurt his trade value, but Pittsburgh could likely get away with forking up a third and a fifth for the cornerback, or a different package of maybe a third- and a sixth-round pick.
Steelers Already Have One Star Cornerback To Worry About
Porter Jr. has proven to be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL, despite the fact that he does not yet have the accolades that McDuffie does. He was lockdown in 2025, and he is due an extension before the 2026 season begins. He should be paid near the top of the market, as will McDuffie. It is tough to pay two cornerbacks that kind of money however, which is why a move like this would be bizarre for Pittsburgh.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers' Joey Porter Jr makes a tackle on Jerry Jeudy in Week 14.
DeFabo however, was at the Combine, and he probably heard some sort of information that made him report this. Time will tell.
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