Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney strolls into the end zone for a touchdown during the 2023 Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs are already winners in the 2022 Kadarius Toney trade with the New York Giants after celebrating another Super Bowl title — but was this a rare win-win move for both franchises?
According to USA Today Chiefs Wire reporter Charles Goldman, it might just be after the way things turned out for KC and Big Blue. In fact, on May 4, Goldman voiced that “it’s crazy that the only losers in this trade might turn out to be Las Vegas.”
That’s right, in a cruel twist of fate, the Raiders have been deemed the biggest losers in the Toney exchange — which didn’t even involve them in the first place. To explain, the Chiefs traded picks No. 100 and No. 209 in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Giants in return for Toney. Later, New York flipped pick No. 100 to Las Vegas for star tight end Darren Waller.
The Raiders and Giants then used the remaining selections on Cincinnati slot receiver Tre Tucker (LVR) — a decision Goldman labeled “redundant” because of Hunter Renfrow — and Old Dominion cornerback Tre Hawkins III (NYG).
This all led Goldman to conclude that “even without knowing how things will turn out for these two draft prospects or Waller in New York, I think it’s safe to say that Kansas City is more than happy with the results of this trade. Not only did they land a key weapon on offense who contributed to their latest Super Bowl title, but they gave the Giants the ammunition to acquire Waller from the Raiders. They ultimately weakened an AFC West opponent by proxy as a bonus to the whole thing.”
Kadarius Toney’s Increased Role Would Be Icing on the Cake for Chiefs GM Brett Veach
So long as Waller doesn’t turn out to be a total bust in New York, the Giants do make out pretty well in this three-team exchange. That’s not to say the Chiefs aren’t smiling ear-to-ear to have Toney.
The 2021 first-round selection fit like a glove in Kansas City during his inaugural campaign, and now the Chiefs are planning to increase his role in 2023. Can you imagine how much of a steal this will look like if Toney has a breakout season with Patrick Mahomes II in year two?
It takes some time to learn head coach Andy Reid’s system and Toney has all the talent in the world. The key will be his health. If the former Florida product can stay on the field, he should dominate opposing defenses alongside Travis Kelce in this offense.
The 24-year-old has only appeared in 19 games over his first two NFL campaigns. He’s averaged 31.1 receiving yards per game so far, but Toney has only been targeted about four times per outing. He caught 14 out of 17 targets with the Chiefs, racking up 171 yards and two touchdowns through the air with another 59 yards plus one touchdown on the ground.
Chiefs Trusting in Youth at WR in 2023
Kansas City general manager Brett Veach never ended up targeting a veteran wideout after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, but that might be based on the team’s confidence in several developing prospects at the position.
it just now clicked that we have:
Kadarius Toney (24)
Skyy Moore (22)
Justyn Ross (23)
Rashee Rice (23)
future at WR looks bright ☺️
#ChiefsKingdom
After the addition of Rashee Rice (age 23) in the draft, the Chiefs now have eight WR eligible players on their roster age 25 or younger including Toney (24), Skyy Moore (22) and Justyn Ross (23). For the 2023 campaign, veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson and Richie James should also help smooth over any growing pains.
Either way, this is a young group and a new wave that can grow with Mahomes as the elite passer enters the next stage of his career. It’ll be interesting to see how good this WR unit looks in two to three years.