Rams keep stealing Chiefs' defensive backs with huge Jaylen Watson contract

The Los Angeles Rams seem to be all in on whatever Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is cooking. After getting Trent McDuffie in a trade, Les Snead identified cornerback Jaylen Watson as the next player he was going to hand a boatload of cash in his quest to keep the Rams in the Super Bowl hunt.

Just a few days after agreeing to trade a package led by the No. 29 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs in exchange for McDuffie, the Rams agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract that will entice Watson to leave the Midwest for the bright lights of LA.

Watson is not only going to be someone who can instantly help make the Rams a contender this year, but with the length of his deal being what it is, he will be viewed as someone who can potentially keep this team stable in the post-Matthew Stafford era.

Rams sign former Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson to three-year contract

Watson is another developmental success story, as he went from a seventh-round pick that was not well-regarded to one of the 20 best cornerbacks in the league last season in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. Watson should immediately start as one of the top outside cornerbacks in Los Angeles.

Watson doesn't have the best ball production, as he has intercepted just three passes in his four-year career, but when you're 6-2 with his long arms, it's hard for quarterbacks to even decide to throw the ball his way. He is also one of the better blitzing and tackling cornerbacks in the AFC.

Watson will join McDuffie, Quentin Lake, and the recently-retained Kam Curl in a secondary that quickly went from one of the weakest points on this roster to an area of strength that could help make the Rams the favorites in what is quickly becoming a very deep NFC.

Considering the fact that a secondary led by McDuffie and Watson has produced some champions in the past with Kansas City, Snead and the Rams are betting on this formula striking gold twice with these humungous contracts.