Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid took to X, formerly Twitter, on January 2 to publicly express his opinion regarding Kansas City cornerback Trent McDuffie not making the initial AFC Pro Bowl roster.
“Robbery… can’t stand Pro Bowl voting format,” Reid wrote in response to a post by Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports in which Schultz detailed the financial ramifications of McDuffie’s Pro Bowl snub.
“People consider the Pro Bowl a joke, and that’s fine. But the Pro Bowl affects players’ pockets, and that’s where it’s unfortunate when a player gets snubbed,” Schultz wrote. “For example, Trent McDuffie has never been selected to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, so his fifth-year option is about $12.7M. If he had made one Pro Bowl, it would be $17.1M. If he had made two, it would be over $20M. It’s unfortunate for the players who are deserving.”
The four cornerbacks selected over McDuffie for the AFC’s roster were Houston Texans‘ Derek Stingley, Denver Broncos‘ Patrick Surtain II, Baltimore Ravens‘ Marlon Humphrey, and Cleveland Browns‘ Denzel Ward.
According to Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen, McDuffie was one of eight Kansas City players who were selected as alternates for the AFC’s roster.
McDuffie, 24, ranks third in PFF coverage grade among CBs who have played at least 80% of their respective team’s coverage snaps. He’s also allowing 60.7% of the targets thrown in his direction to be caught, which ranks fifth-best among CBs under the same criteria.
Player selections for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games are based on the combined votes of fans, coaches, and fellow players, with each group’s vote contributing equally, making up one-third of the final decision. Because of that, the results can oftentimes not fall in line with real-life results on the field. That was the case for McDuffie, who still doesn’t have a Pro Bowl nod on his NFL resume despite unquestionably being a top 2-3 CB in the AFC this season.