Giants Country

Revisiting the Kadarius Toney Trade: Did Giants Act Prematurely?

No, no, and no. Here's why.

Patricia Traina

In this story:

Given the contributions made by receiver Kadarius Toney in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory over the Eagles--Toney had a significant 65-yard punt return that helped set up the Chiefs' go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter--already some of the Giants faithful have asked if the Giants might have made a mistake in moving on from their 2021 first-round draft pick.

Yes, Toney delivered a big play when it was needed in the Super Bowl. But since being acquired by the Chiefs in an October 27 trade that sent the Chiefs' compensatory third-round pick and the team's original sixth-round selection in the upcoming 2023 draft to the Giants, Toney has been more of a support player than a featured player in that Chiefs offense.

He finished the year catching 14 of 17 pass targets for 171 and two touchdowns and had five rushing attempts for 59 yards and one touchdown--all replaceable production.

As a punt returner for the Chiefs, Toney averaged 6.1 yards per return (10 returns for 61 yards, long of nine).

By contrast, Richie James, the Giants' primary punt returner, averaged 7.3 yards per return with a long of 23, despite having three muffs.

On a larger scale, Toney, who always seemed to be in the trainer's room during his time with the Giants, never appeared to gain the trust of the coaching staff when he was able to practice, an issue one might even trace back to his rookie season when the previous coaching staff. 

He missed the opening part of the team's off-season program, an absence that was never explained, though it later emerged that he had had an off-season knee procedure. 

Still, unless he had something of greater significance going on in his personal life, it wouldn't have hurt him to show up for the start of the off-season program to become acquainted with the new program and the new personnel running it, to show that he was committed to getting off on the right foot when given a clean slate by the new regime.

Look, it's highly unlikely that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would give up on talent just for the heck of it unless there was some underlying reason. And while both took the high road when questioned about the decision to move on from Toney when they did, the tea leaves seemed to point toward a sentiment that the receiver wasn't willing to meet them halfway in becoming a fit for the type of program they were trying to build.

The benefit? The Giants have two additional draft picks, which currently project as Picks 101 and 210, pending the awarding of compensatory picks. 

For a team that needs a lot of reinforcement in areas such as receiver (the same position that Toney played), linebacker, defensive line, and cornerback, that the Giants were able to get two draft picks for a player who, in his first season under the new regime, missed five games with two different hamstring issues and who really didn't do a whole lot in his first year and a half as a pro was quite the coup.

Yes, even if that same player delivered a single big play in the sport's biggest game of the year.

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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