Kansas City Chiefs Players Call Trent McDuffie Pro Bowl Snub “Robbery”
It hasn’t always been pretty this season for the Kansas City Chiefs, but they are in a familiar position. Heading into week 18, they have locked up the top seed in the conference. The road to the Super Bowl will go through Arrowhead. Usually, when a team only has one loss, they have a slew of star players getting end-of-season recognition. This is not the case for the Chiefs. They only had five players selected for the Pro Bowl. One of the snubs, cornerback Trent McDuffie, angered many teammates.
Kansas City Chiefs Trent McDuffie Snubbed
Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith were the five Kansas City Chiefs selected to the Pro Bowl. Trent McDuffie wasn’t one of the four cornerbacks selected for the AFC squad. Marlon Humphrey, Denzel Ward, Derek Stingley Jr., and Pat Surtain II were the four given the honors. Teammate Justin Reid shared his thoughts on social media, saying, “Robbery…can’t stand the Pro Bowl voting format.” While he is a first alternate, these decisions have effects on the player’s salary.
Trent McDuffie has never been selected to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot. While the Super Bowl teams will not send their players, other players choose to opt-out as well. However, for contract purposes, players have to be selected to the original squad. McDuffie’s fifth-year option will be about $12.7 million. If he had made one Pro Bowl, that number would have jumped to $17.1 million. A Pro Bowl snub isn’t just an ego hit; it has a massive effect on a player’s potential salary. Teams tie contract incentives to Pro Bowl or All-Pro teams all the time. Missing out is a big deal.
Pro Bowl Voting
The NFL’s all-star game has been under fire over the past decade. The game has evolved from an NFC vs. AFC battle to the Pro Bowl Games, where players compete in various competitions. This culminates in a flag football game between the two squads. Voting is done by the fans and by coaches and players. Trent McDuffie isn’t the only one feeling like he got the short end of the stick. Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph was first in fan voting, but the coaches and players ranked others ahead of him.
For McDuffie, it was likely him being on the Kansas City Chiefs. Fans are tired of the Chiefs winning. They are attempting an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl, and the defense has been a big part of that. However, this means that as fans are voting, they might skip over a Chief. Psychologically, it might be a way for a rival team to stick it to them. The issue arises when player salaries are tied to popularity contests. The Pro Bowl isn’t about popularity but about performance. If the NFL truly wants the best players, they need to update how they are chosen.
Final Thoughts
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the position they are because of their defense. They trade L’Jarius Snead in the offseason, largely in part because of the play of McDuffie. He has been everything they hoped for and more. There are plenty of high-powered offenses in the AFC, but the team has the tools to slow them down. The good news for McDuffie is he still has a chance to make an All-Pro team. That voting system is different; many fans have a higher status on an All-Pro nod. This team didn’t need any more motivation, but some of the snubs may be going into the postseason with a chip on their shoulder.
