Kadarius Toney’s Giants Career Could Already Be Over, Says ESPN Insider

Getty Kadarius Toney of the New York Giants.

Kadarius Toney’s rookie campaign in East Rutherford was far from smooth. From questionable social media interactions to numerous injuries, the Florida product mostly failed to live up to his first-round billing. Still, he flashed enough high-end traits to think that, within the right system, the 23-year-old could take off in year two. However, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler questions whether that will ever come to fruition with the Giants — or if he’ll even be a member of the Giants come the beginning of the 2022 season.

With a new regime in New York, Fowler believes Toney is an under-the-radar trade candidate to keep an eye on this offseason.

“He’s cheap (entering second year of rookie deal) and incredibly talented, but new general manager Joe Schoen didn’t draft him. Dave Gettleman did,” wrote Fowler. “So assessing his value doesn’t hurt anything. ‘He’s either going to be the best receiver in the league, or it completely won’t work out, and I’m not sure there’s much in-between,’ an NFC coach said. ‘He’s electric with the ball, but there are still some concerns about focus and availability.'”

Toney’s Up & Down Rookie Season

Toney’s rookie campaign came to a halt after just 10 games when the Giants opted to shut him down due to a shoulder injury. On the season, Toney still managed to lead all New York wideouts in receptions with 39 — which says more about Big Blue’s lack of offensive firepower than it does about his own production. His 420 yards receiving ranked 12th in the NFL among all first-year pass-catchers as he was outpaced in the category by seven players who were selected after him in the 2021 draft.

Of course, New York’s quarterback play and schematics did little to help Toney’s case. Yet, he still managed to flash brilliance from time to time. None more so than in Week 5 when he torched the Cowboys secondary for a rookie franchise record 189 yards receiving on 10 catches. Toney was ejected from that game for throwing a punch at a Dallas defender and never again eclipsed 40 receiving yards in a game for the rest of the season. In fact, Toney recorded 50 fewer receiving yards over his next five games combined than he did in the loss to the Cowboys.

Kevin Abrams Staying With Giants

Before Gettleman officially announced his retirement, in-house candidate Kevin Abrams was widely perceived as the likely successor to the Giants GM. Of course, that failed to come to fruition as the long-time exec proved to never truly be in contention for the gig once the hiring process began to take shape.

However, on February 5 the team announced that Abrams will remain with the Giants organization. Albeit with a new job title. After serving as New York’s assistant general manager for 20 years, Abrams has been named the team’s senior vice president of football operations & strategy.