Report: Giants Could Be Looking to Move WR Kadarius Toney

The Giants new management might be looking to move on from last year's first-round draft pick, per a report.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Apr 22, 2022 9:10 PM EDT

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Are the Giants looking to move on from Kadarius Toney, their first-round pick from last year, already?

That might be the case, according to the Daily News, which was first to report the possibility, followed by ESPN, who reported that an unnamed executive claimed to have heard that Toney was available via trade.

This report would indicate a 180-degree turn for the Giants and general manager Joe Schoen, who told reporters at the combine that he didn’t consider Toney a tradeable piece.

But things might just have changed in light of any conversations the second-year receiver may have had with Daboll and Schoen regarding his willingness to be a part of the team moving forward.

Toney has been a no-show from the team's voluntary off-season program, that began April 4, and he was not present at the voluntary minicamp that concluded Thursday.

Both head coach Brian Daboll and Schoen downplayed Toney’s absence, reminding reporters of the voluntary nature of both the off-season program and the recently completed bonus minicamp afforded by the CBA to all teams that have a new head coach this year.

And while other players have missed all or parts of the off-season program—cornerback James Bradberry, a rumored to be a potential trade candidate, hasn’t shown up either—none of the other players are thought to have missed the entire program so far as Toney has.

In staying away from the program, Toney has not received his playbook. Daboll also confirmed that the coaches haven't worked with Toney virtually.

"This is a voluntary camp," Daboll said Wednesday, adding that he had "good talks" with the receiver. "The guys that are here, we're going to work with. The guys that aren't, they're going to miss out on some things. It's voluntary for a reason. That's the nature of the rules."

"It's voluntary," Schoen added. "Nobody asked about the other guys that aren't here. It's life. Life happens. I've had good conversations with Kadarius. We've been in contact. At the end of the day it's voluntary. That's what it is."

A call to Toney’s agent on Wednesday seeking comment was not returned.

Toney’s NFL career so far has been rocky. Acquired with the 20th overall pick last year after a trade down with the Chicago Bears, the receiver missed large chunks of the team’s rookie minicamp due to a cleats issue (not necessarily his fault) and then later a family emergency.

Toney also dealt with two bouts of COVID-19 and had some outbursts on social media, one of which came after he saw an early season reduction in his snaps, followed by a cryptic post in which he labeled the media as “ clowns,” a sentiment initially interpreted as a verbal swipe against the New York media.

Toney clarified and apologized to the media for any misunderstanding. Still, his turbulent season continued when he lost his cool during a 44-20 road game loss to the Cowboys in which he threw a punch at Cowboys defensive back Davontae Kazee and was ejected from the game after racking up 189 receiving yards on ten receptions.

The rookie later apologized for his actions, as then-head coach Joe Judge, when asked if Toney had some maturing to do, said, “I think every rookie has a lot of maturing to do."

Toney, who was once a quarterback, switched to receiver shortly after arriving in Gainesville, is still relatively new to playing the receiver role. He’s insanely talented and has play-making potential written all over him, but he’s also been slowed down by injuries both in college and as a rookie, losing seven games due to his injuries.