New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney (89) points to the crowd after the Giants' 23-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in East Rutherford. — Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

What's Next for Giants Following Kadarius Toney Trade?

Let's try to answer some of the biggest burning questions following the Giants' trade of receiver Kadarius Toney.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2022 3:53 PM EDT

In this story:

Sometimes actions really do speak more loudly than words.

Consider the New York Giants and their decision to trade Kadarius Toney, their disappointing first-round pick from last year. The Giants currently aren't exactly overflowing with top-shelf talent at receiver after losing Sterling Shepard to a season-ending ACL injury and having their supposed No. 1 receiver, Kenny Golladay, currently sidelined with a knee injury, once again fail to get untracked.

So for the Giants to trade away Toney, who was supposedly dealing with his own injury issues, is telling of what the organization might have thought of him and how it decided that all the talent in the world that Toney possesses just isn't worth the headache of keeping him around.

So where do the Giants go from here, and what are the salary cap ramifications? Read on for some answers.

Why Did The Giants Move on from Toney So Soon?

Head coach Brian Daboll refused to say anything beyond wishing the young receiver well, and it's unlikely that general manager Joe Schoen will add any clarity regarding the decision when he addresses the media next week during the bye.

While some might point to the injury situation as a big reason, there's probably more to this situation than what meets the eye.

Think about it for a minute. If injuries were the sole reason, then why are guys like cornerback Aaron Robinson and outside linebacker Elerson Smith, who both dealt with injuries in their respective rookie seasons, still with the team?

People might also point to Toney's missteps last year--being ejected from a game for throwing a punch and his social media gaffes--but this coaching staff and regime gave everyone a clean slate when they came in.

Logically speaking, one can only assume that Toney didn't take full advantage of the clean slate he was given and that his decisions irked the Giants to the point where they felt they'd be better off without him.

What Are The Salary Cap Ramifications

Toney was in Year 2 of a fully guaranteed four-year, $13,719,508 rookie deal. His 2022 cap number was a modest $3,118,070, but with him now traded--he'd be considered a post-June 1 designation--the Giants will be on the hook for the first seven weeks of Toney's base salary at a rate of $71,311 per week (base salaries are divided by 18 since it's a 17-week season plus one week for a bye).

Thus the Giants will be hit for about $499,177 for the first seven weeks Toney was on the roster and a cap savings of $784,430.

As for dead money, the Giants will be hit for $1,834,456, which is one-fourth of the signing bonus prorated. The remaining half of the signing bonus, approximately $3,668,912, will accelerate into the team's 2023 cap.

So Now What?

As previously noted, the Giants might have bodies at receiver that they're going to call upon, but if they ever want their passing game to reach elite levels, they're going to have to add some top-shelf firepower to the group.

Drafting a receiver within the top 100 picks next year is almost a given. But might the Giants, who are a surprising 6-1 and still very much in the thick of the playoff race, look to bundle up some extra picks for another receiver?

Denver's Jerry Jeudy could be a name to watch. Jeudy was with Giants head coach Brian Daboll in Alabama when the latter was the team's offensive coordinator and he former a student-athlete.

As far as money is concerned, the Giants, who, before the trade, had roughly $2,473,675 of cap space left, would only be on the hook for the base salaries remaining on his rookie deal, which are $1,991,178 this year.

That's prorated to $110,621 a week, or approximately $1.216,831 for the rest of the year, or about $432,401 more than it would have cost them to carry Toney for the rest of this year).

It sounds like the cost to acquire Jeudy wouldn't be cheap, but perhaps a team determined to acquire the receiver could point out his history in which Jeudy has not put it all together just yet due to a combination of injuries and drops to play with five different quarterbacks and two offensive coordinators.

But could Jeudy, who has appeared in 33 games with 26 starts and who has caught 114 of 216 pass targets for 1,709 yards and five touchdowns, benefit from a more stable environment, such as what the Giants are trying to build? One would think so if he can overcome his injury issues, which limited him to 10 games played last year.

But will the Giants, who again have a very delicate cap situation, make a move, especially since they'll be without pass-catching tight end Daniel Bellinger (eye) indefinitely?

Odds are they might want to but won't be able to, but don't discount Giants general manager Joe Schoen's creative approach to problem-solving when it comes to the roster.