Report: Chiefs Waive Kadarius Toney, Ending Tumultuous Tenure in KC

The Kadarius Toney era in Kansas City is officially over, as the champs are parting ways with him ahead of Week 1.

Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) catches a pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

As the Kansas City Chiefs continue to trim their roster ahead of Tuesday afternoon's NFL deadline, they're parting ways with one of their most polarizing players.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the back-to-back Super Bowl champs are waiving wide receiver Kadarius Toney. His time in Kansas City comes to a close after just under two years with the club.

Source: The #Chiefs are waiving Kadarius Toney, but he’ll have a market elsewhere. The talented playmakers story isn’t done yet.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2024

It's been a bumpy ride for Toney, who came over via an in-season trade back in 2022. The former first-round pick flashed the ability to make an impact during his first regular-season run with the Chiefs, although injuries continued to plague him. His best moment with the franchise came during Super Bowl LVII, however, when he returned a punt for 65 yards during a critical point in the game.

The 2023-24 campaign saw no such luck for Toney. He spent almost all of training camp dealing with a knee injury, only to return for Week 1 and struggle all season long. Falling out of favor on the depth chart, he hauled in 27 passes for just 169 yards and a touchdown during the regular season. Toney's 66.7 passer rating when thrown to and 4.4 yards per target were both abysmal, reflected by the quality of his tape.

The veteran wideout continued to battle injuries this summer. Prior to Kansas City's final preseason game of the year, I wrote about his roster outlook here on Kansas City Chiefs On SI.

A year ago, Toney was expected to be a top-two wideout on the Chiefs. After a season filled with injuries and underwhelming play, he's now fighting for a spot that may have passed him up. His fifth-year option has already been declined, so this is effectively his last chance to stick. This weekend's game against the Detroit Lions – if he plays in it – is absolutely massive for his future. It's just this writer's take, but Toney could be auditioning for another team just as much as he's doing so for the Chiefs right now. Kansas City sounds like a franchise whose patience has run thin.

In the post-Toney era, the Chiefs still have plenty of wideouts to work with. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown leads the way, even while he recovers from a sternoclavicular injury suffered in the preseason opener. Behind him, the trio of Rashee Rice, Justin Watson and Xavier Worthy is solidified. There figures to be depth elsewhere, including old friend JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Toney helped bring another Super Bowl back to Kansas City, so acquiring him was worth it. Things didn't work out from a sustainability standpoint, but now he gets an opportunity to latch on in another capacity and move forward with his career.

Read More: Kansas City Chiefs Roster Cuts, News, Analysis, Practice Squad Tracker