Kadarius Toney is a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, yet fans still can't help but wonder what could've been. Toney is currently unemployed, as he was dumped by the Cleveland Browns and received just one target last season. In a recent interview with the 'New Rory and Mal' podcast, Toney opened up about his time in KC. He, of course, didn't not mention the hard times or his eventual release.
"The moment I realized that, like one practice, the man threw some like a jump (pass). It was a crazy pass, I don't know what kind of pass he threw. Man, I wish I had recorded it on film. The man threw a crazy pass. I'm like, yeah, he's different," said Toney. "I ain't never seen nobody doing like, they're not even playing an overall video, and it was on the money.
As you can tell, most of Toney's interview was spent praising Patrick Mahomes, which is a valid use of time. Mahomes will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever when all is said and done. The veteran QB is entering his ninth year in the league.
What went wrong for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kadarius Toney?
However, things started to go south for Toney in the 2023-24 season. First, he lined up offsides on what would've been one of the most memorable plays of Travis Kelce's career – a lateral touchdown to beat the Buffalo Bills. Toney's teammates came to his defense postgame, even blaming the officials. However, replay review showed Toney was clearly lined up ahead of the line of scrimmage.
Later that season, Toney was inactive for the Super Bowl, in part because he called out the team prior to the game itself. In the following training camp, he showed up out of shape and was cut as a result. General manager Brett Veach wished Toney the best, but he ultimately hasn't landed on his feet since.
"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.''
Disappointed ought to be on the back of Toney's jersey at this point. He entered the NFL with the promise of a potential Percy Harvin-type hybrid, but instead has failed to live up to the hype. Still just 26 years old, there's a chance he could find a new NFL home this season. By praising the Chiefs and highlighting his time there, Toney is back in the public conscience as OTAs roll around one more time.
The Chiefs ought to know better.