Mansoor Delane Sends Challenge to Chiefs Front Office

The Kansas City Chiefs found themselves in a pickle after trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams.

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The Chiefs were losing a two-time All-Pro cornerback and a staple for the defense ever since he was taken with the No. 21 pick in the 2022 draft. Kansas City chose to trade McDuffie rather than give him the deal the Rams did, a four-year, $124 million contract extension that made the two-time Super Bowl champion the highest-paid cornerback in league history.

That move explains why the Chiefs were in enough of a bind to take a risk by trading up three spots to take Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 pick, which might have been a slight reach to take the cornerback out of LSU.

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Delane referenced Kansas City’s history of being cheap with cornerbacks when speaking to reporters on Friday, the first day of the team’s rookie minicamp.

“A lot of the DBs that come here, they don’t stay for long,” Delane said, via the Chiefs. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means they’re getting developed and they’re getting put in the best positions. So, I’m just looking forward to being the next one. Hopefully, I stay.”

The Chiefs have a long history of developing talent in the secondary on a rookie contract before declining to sign players to a new deal. Kansas City traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in 2024. Juan Thornhill signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2023 after winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Chiefs are getting a bargain for Delane.

As the No. 6 pick, he’ll sign a four-year deal worth $41,931,992, per Spotrac. At approximately $10.5 million per season, Delane is set to be the 29th-highest-paid cornerback in the league without having played a snap in the regular season.

Delane made a strong statement as a rookie to the Chiefs front office that he’s aware of how they conduct business. He wants to be in Kansas City for the long haul.

But even if he exceeds expectations in Kansas City, that might not be enough to keep him in a Chiefs uniform.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:49 PM.