The Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Kadarius Toney this week, bringing an end to his tumultuous tenure with the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Read more: Chiefs Releasing Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney
The Chiefs acquired Toney from the New York Giants in the middle of the 2022 season for a third- and sixth-round pick. Toney played a big role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2022-23 season, but was an on-field liability and off-the-field headache during the 2023-24 season.
Toney had four drops in their regular season opener against the Detroit Lions. He was called for a consequential offsides penalty at the end of a Week 14 game, and the very next week, bobbled a pass that turned into an interception.
Toney was inactive for the last three games of the regular season and the entire postseason. Ahead of the Super Bowl, though, he went on Instagram live, saying he wasn’t injured and the Chiefs were falsely placing him on the injury report.
The writing was on the wall for an end to Toney’s Kansas City tenure, and this week, the breakup finally occurred.
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On Thursday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked about Toney’s tenure with the Chiefs, and said he had no regrets.
“I don’t think we’re sitting here going for a third straight Super Bowl had we not made that trade,” Veach said to reporters. “So, from that standpoint, we’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 12: Kadarius Toney #19 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the sideline prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs gm doesn’t regret the Toney trade.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images
While Veach didn’t have any regrets about the trade, he did admit he was disappointed Toney didn’t turn into the star receiver the Chiefs thought they were trading for.
“We’re certainly disappointed,” Veach said. “I think he’s disappointed. We really liked the kid, and I know that people have different takes on Kadarius, but I know in this building he’s a bright kid, he’s a smart kid. When you look back on it, some of this stuff is a stroke of bad luck in regards to some of the injuries you can’t control. Like walking out the first day of training camp last year and tearing his [meniscus]. I mean, that was something that was just unfortunate.”
Toney will likely find a new home soon, as the former first-round pick is oozing with talent and potential. Across 32 career games, he has 82 receptions, 760 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns, to go along with 119 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
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