As if watching the two teams involved in Trent McDuffie's recent big move from the Chiefs to the Rams wasn't painful enough for the Cincinnati Bengals to witness, his new contract adds insult to injury.
McDuffie landing in LA was, in theory, supposed to help the Bengals' 2026 NFL Draft. The Chiefs, who pick ninth overall right before Cincinnati, could easily use that first-round selection to take McDuffie's successor.
That was supposed to be good news for the Bengals. Because they could have one more potential blue-chip prospect slide a tad further down the board for them to choose from. They don't "need" a boundary cornerback thanks to the presences of DJ Turner and Dax Hill.
...Only now they might in light of McDuffie's gaudy price tag.
Trent McDuffie’s market-setting cornerback contract will likely trigger Bengals-DJ Turner rift
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday eve that McDuffie scored a four-year, $124 million contract from the Rams, including $100 million in guaranteed money.
Dear LORD! Was this an intentional sabotaging effort toward Cincinnati? I'm half-convinced it was!
If Joe Burrow ain't happy with the Bengals after the 2026 season, don't put it past the Rams to trade a zillion first-round picks for him. That's just what they do. They go all-in. Every single year. The Bengals don't, but fully believe they do! How amazing it must be to live in such blissful ignorance as Duke Tobin and Co.
Never in a million years will Cincinnati guarantee eighty percent of a player's contract. Never happening. They couldn't guarantee Trey Hendrickson any money beyond the first year of his desired multi-year extension last offseason. Absolute aces work by the front office and ownership there.
Anyway, all this McDuffie mad money applies directly to DJ Turner. He's eligible for an extension this offseason. Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson reported that the team hopes to work out new deals for Turner and Dax Hill this offseason somehow.
Uhh...maybe you can convince Dax to stay. DJ, though? Tougher sell! The price of the brick just went up! Isn't that the quote?
The Bengals will frame it to Turner as follows: Trent McDuffie is a two-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champ. He's been it for more years at a high level. Turner has one full season of proof as an elite coverage cornerback. Cincinnati's brass will need to see more before coming within earshot of McDuffie's deal.
And another problem: The New England Patriots are soon bound to extend their CB1, Christian Gonzalez. He might get even more money than McDuffie.
So yeah. It'd be wise for the Bengals to buck their typical M.O., and extend Turner and Hill ASAP before they realize how wild the market is about to get for contracts at their position.
If Cincinnati waits again to try to alienate a star player, Turner will get into a contract spat just like Hendrickson, Tee Higgins, and Ja'Marr Chase before him. And things will get weird. And Turner may not make it to a second contract.
I hope this doesn't happen, but haven't we seen this movie many times before, Who Dey Heads? It just feels so inevitable that Turner's reps and the front office will be going to war over his next deal now. Thanks a lot, Trent McDuffie, and preemptive thanks to Christian Gonzalez.
More bad news: Turner and Hill share the same agent, Andrew Kessler of Athletes First, per Spotrac. Similar setup to Chase and Higgins holding the same representation.
It'd be dope to see another joint press conference with DJ and Dax locked in on new contracts. They could be the best boundary corner duo in the NFL. What a package deal they could be. But again, in the aftermath of the McDuffie news, this could all go so horribly wrong.