New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney (89) on the field for warmups at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in East Rutherford. — Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Giants Trade Receiver Kadarius Toney to Chiefs

The short, rocky tenure of the Giants' 2021 first-round draft pick is over.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2022 1:08 PM EDT

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New York Giants

The New York Giants have traded wide receiver Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs for draft picks.

Jordan Schultz was the first to report.

The third-round pick included in the deal is one of two compensatory picks the Chiefs received from the league for Ryan Poles, hired by the Chicago Bears as their general manager, and is not a conditional pick. The Giants are also getting a sixth round pick from the Chiefs.

Head coach Brian Daboll confirmed the trade during his Thursday press briefing with the media.

“We just thought it was for the best, for the team,” Daboll said before Thursday’s practice. “Wish Kadarius well. I’m not going to get into any of the details. Our decision is for the team, and we’re moving on.”

Toney was drafted No. 20 overall in 2021 out of Florida after the team traded with the Bears to acquire an extra first-round draft pick, amongst others in this year's draft. Toney was viewed as an explosive playmaker whose skillset could benefit the Giants in multiple ways, particularly his run-after-the-catch ability.

But almost from the get-go, Toney's tenure with the Giants was bumpy, largely due to injuries. He's missed 12 of 24 games with assorted injuries, most recently hamstring issues, which have limited him to just two games this season.

His maturity has also come into question since he turned pro. Last year following an early season loss to Washington, Toney posted a meme on his Instagram story that read, “I won't be mad s–t just be lame to me fr.” Later, a source alleged to be close to Toney was quoted by NJ Advance Media saying, “No use having a sports car and not driving it.”

Toney added to the off-field headaches when he later referred to the media as "sum clowns." He later apologized for his remarks.

Toney also lost his cool during what was perhaps his best game as a pro when he threw a punch at Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee, an action that got him ejected in the fourth quarter of the Giants' game at Dallas last year.

Overall, Toney has 41 receptions, 420 yards, and no touchdowns as a Giant. He'll get a fresh start with the Chiefs, and the Giants, who continue to look to rebuild via the draft, will get another top-100 pick in the 2023 draft to pursue that objective.

The Giants could also package picks for another receiver before the November 1 NFL trade deadline, especially now with Toney gone and the status of Kenny Golladay's knee unclear. However, the team needs to tread carefully given the current lack of salary cap space ($2.85 million per the NFLPA public cap report).