Chiefs' GM Said He'd Trade for Ex-Giants Draft Bust All Over Again

Brett Veach would make the Kadarius Toney trade again if he had the chance, despite the receiver's recent release.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) warms up before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

No regrets.

That’s what Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had when asked if he regretted trading a third- and sixth-round draft pick to the New York Giants for their 2021 first-round draft pick, Kadarius Toney.

"I don't think we're sitting here going for a third straight Super Bowl [championship] had we not made that trade,'' Veach said of the deal that sent third- and sixth-round draft picks to the Giants. "So, from that standpoint, we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat."

Veach and the Chiefs believed they'd be getting another star receiver in Toney when they made the trade. However, injuries, bad play, and other factors contributed to his disappointing output with the team.

"We're certainly disappointed,'' Veach said. "I think he's disappointed. We really liked the kid, and I know that people have different takes on Kadarius, but I know in this building, he's a bright kid, he's a smart kid. 

“When you look back on it, some of this stuff is a stroke of bad luck in regards to some of the injuries you can't control. Like walking out the first day of training camp last year and tearing his [meniscus]. I mean, that was something that was just unfortunate.''

Toney, whom the Giants acquired with the 20th overall pick in that class after trading down, never seemed to fit in with the Giants or the New York area. He was injured more often than he was on the field, and when the new regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll came in, that seemed to cement the eventual breakup between the club and the receiver. 

Toney played just 35 snaps over the first two weeks of 2022. He then missed the next five games with a hamstring injury before being sent packing. He immediately seemed to be over his hamstring issue and seemed much happier to be out of New York.  

Despite his talent, Toney didn't put up spectacular numbers with the Chiefs, catching 41 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in 20 games. However, he became a hero during the Chiefs' Super Bowl 57 win over the Eagles. Toney caught a touchdown and then recorded the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, a 65-yard effort to set up another Chiefs score.

Expected to play an even larger role in 2023, things went south for Toney. In Week 1, he dropped two wide-open passes and had just one catch in their 21-20 loss to the Lions. It spelled out how the rest of the season would go, catching just 27 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown.

Toney was released as part of the Chiefs cutdown to a 53-man roster. The Giants, meanwhile, used the third-round pick acquired in the trade with the Chiefs last year on tight end Darren Waller, who unfortunately didn’t work out as hoped by the Giants brass due to injuries.   

New York used the sixth-round pick acquired in the trade on cornerback Tre Hawkins III.