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The Kansas City Chiefs front office was active during the team’s Week 8 bye, trading a 2023 third-round compensatory pick and a conditional sixth-round pick in exchange for New York Giants receiver Kadarius Toney.
Minutes after the news broke of the trade, which came from Jordan Schultz of theScore on October 27, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took to Twitter to react to the trade.
Mahomes posted a tweet that did not have any words, but rather a GIF of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson glaring and then breaking into a smile.
It appears that Mahomes approves of the latest move by Kansas City general manager Brett Veach.
What to Know About Toney
Toney, 23, entered the league as a first-round pick (20th overall) of the Giants in 2021 out of Florida. From that point until the trade, Toney’s time in New York was riddled with injuries, but he did manage 38 receptions for 420 yards in 10 games played during the 2021 season, per Pro Football Reference.
This season, Toney played in two games for New York, recording just 2 catches in those games.
No WR evaded more tackles per touch last year than Kadarius Toney.
NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein did a write-up on Toney leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.
“Slot talent who competes like a player bigger than his listed size,” Zierlein wrote. “Toney has battled injuries, which helped cap his production until the 2020 season, when it finally clicked for the entire offense. His routes can look like one-on-one isolation basketball moves at times, but he has the ability to make instant cuts and break his routes off sharply. He could become a much more creative and consistent route runner in due time. He’s an atypical NFL slot in some ways and is likely to do his best work in a scheme that allows him plenty of run-after-catch opportunities. He’ll need more polish but should contribute right away as a receiver and punt returner.”
Based on the compensation used to acquire Toney and his contract, this is a good trade for the Chiefs. Toney still has two years remaining on his rookie contract along with a potential fifth-year option, which brings a talented receiver into Kansas City with minimal finances attached to him for several years. The Chiefs also still have 11 draft picks in 2023 despite giving up two draft picks to acquire Toney.
Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Skyy Moore are the only Chiefs receivers under contract through the 2023 season. But Kansas City has the remainder of the season to evaluate Toney as well as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Justin Watson before they determine how much money they want to spend at the position next offseason and who that money will go to.
No matter the outcome, Kansas City will have a base of Valdes-Scantling, Moore, and now Toney, to build off of.
Twitter Reacts to Mahomes’ Tweet
Twitter users reacted to Mahomes’ tweet minutes after the news broke of the Chiefs trading for Toney.
“Kadarius Toney put up 196 yards (189 receiving) in one game (vs Cowboys) last year. He can be an elite WR if he can stay healthy,” one Twitter user wrote.
@PatrickMahomes Kadarius Toney put up 196 yards (189 receiving) in one game (vs Cowboys) last year. He can be an elite WR if he can stay healthy.
“Man for real if any team can get the best out of this Toney kid I believe it’s the Chiefs take a look back at all the work they put in with tyreek back when he first started out who can say he’d be where he’s at if he started with a different team,” another user wrote.
@PatrickMahomes Man for real if any team can get the best out of this Toney kid I believe it’s the Chiefs take a look back at all the work they put in with tyreek back when he first started out who can say he’d be where he’s at if he started with a different team
“If you guys get Toney going, which I believe you will, this offense is gonna be more potent. Nice,” another user wrote.
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Patrick Mahomes Reacts to Chiefs Trading for WR Kadarius Toney