The Las Vegas Raiders have been far from the team to beat in the AFC West over the years. In fact, since their last playoff appearance in 2021, each of the other three teams in the division has made the postseason multiple times, and two of them have won at least one game.
But the 2025 NFL season saw a significant changing of the guard, as the Denver Broncos ascended to the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs entirely. The Raiders also have a bright future now ahead of them with a promising head coach and quarterback soon coming.
Whereas Las Vegas, Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers seem to be trending in the right direction, somehow, the Chiefs, who have been the goliath of the AFC for nearly a decade, are headed the opposite way. The bulk of their high-end talent is aging, and their young players aren't developing.
Oh, and they are in major, major trouble when it comes to their salary cap situation.
Bleacher Report lists Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie as Raiders trade target
Kansas City, according to Spotrac, has -$57 million in salary cap space for the 2026 NFL season. Not only will they be unable to add significant talent outside of the draft this offseason, but they'll be forced to part ways with some high-dollar players to get under the cap.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine wrote a piece detailing trade targets for every NFL team this offseason. For the Raiders, Ballentine surprisingly listed Chiefs star cornerback Trent McDuffie, whose large contract Kansas City could be looking to offload.
"It's hard to project fits until the Raiders have a new head coach, but they won't necessarily be tied to Pete Carroll's affinity for taller, longer cornerbacks. That could lead to an inter-division trade offer to the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie," Ballentine wrote. "He's an All-Pro level defender, and the Chiefs are in a severe cap crunch."
McDuffie would be sensational in any defense that Las Vegas may run under whoever Kubiak tabs as his defensive coordinator. His play fell off a bit in 2025 in an injury-riddled season, but McDuffie is still one of the NFL's premier corners, with 3 interceptions and 20 passes defended in the last two years.
He can play both out wide and in the slot, and McDuffie can even slide into the box or up to the defensive line and rush the passer. Although the Raiders have two good pieces at cornerback already, McDuffie would easily become the best player in the secondary.
RELATED: Adam Schefter just changed his tune and painted bright future for Raiders
Now, McDuffie won't be cheap. Las Vegas would have to trade draft picks or assets to acquire him, and they'd have to take on his contract. McDuffie is owed $13.6 million this year, and then the Raiders would have to extend him on a high-market deal if they wanted to keep him around.
Trading for him would likely cost Las Vegas its early second-round draft pick as well. Given the Chiefs' need for another difference-making tight end, with Travis Kelce's career hanging in the balance, perhaps the Raiders could offer a third-rounder and a young stud like Michael Mayer.
Because this would be an intra-division trade, Kansas City would likely charge an even higher price for McDuffie if the Raiders wanted him. But Chiefs GM Brett Veach may have to accept less for McDuffie just to recoup some value before inevitably losing him in free agency because they can't afford him.
The Chiefs cannot, as it stands now, afford to pay McDuffie without taking some serious hits elsewhere on the roster. Las Vegas has all the cap space in the world, tons of draft assets, and needs help at practically every position on the field.
It may be a bit unorthodox, but at the right price, the Raiders could target McDuffie in a trade with their bitter division rival. John Spytek certainly loves his picks, and this team should be built through the draft. But McDuffie could be categorized as an exception.