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The Kadarius Toney era in East Rutherford has come to a swift end.
The New York Giants have traded the 2021 first-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a pair of draft picks — a compensatory third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
“Thought it was best for the team,” head coach Brain Daboll said. “We wish Kadarius well.”
The Giants selected Toney 20th overall last April after trading back with the Chicago Bears. They, of course, went on to select quarterback Justin Fields, while then-general manager Dave Gettleman thought he got a steal with Toney.
But Toney’s time with the Giants immediately got off to a rough start. He dealt with cleat issues during rookie minicamp and the problems only became more pronounced from there. He routinely missed practice time and games due to a wide variety of injuries, which is something that carried over into 2022.
As frustration grew, Toney lashed out at both reporters and fans via social media, eventually walking back some of those statements. However, the maturity issues persisted over time.
Despite the best effort from head coach Brian Daboll, Toney never seemed to fit in and was constantly hamstrung (no pun intended) by injury. He suffered three separate hamstring injuries this year, causing him to six-plus games.
“I don’t know,” quarterback Daniel Jones told Pat Leonard when asked why it didn’t work out. “I think he’s an extremely talented player and there are lots of reasons things don’t work out in any situation. But certainly wish him the best and enjoyed our time and appreciate him as a teammate.”
In two games this season, Toney caught just two passes for zero yards and rushed the ball two times for 23 yards. He finished last season with 39 receptions for 420 yards and no touchdowns.
Although dynamic when healthy and on the field, Toney never seemed to fit in with the Giants and became expendable.
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