NFL trade regrade: Who really won the Chiefs-Giants Kadarius Toney deal?

The Kansas City Chiefs cut wide receiver Kadarius Toney ahead of the NFL's 53-man roster cutdown deadline, marking the end of an era. Albeit an incredibly underwhelming epoch (from an individual standpoint), it was an eventful one nonetheless.

Toney caught 41 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in 20 regular-season games with the Chiefs. It was a lackluster and brief stint, though initial excitement about his arrival from the New York Giants in 2022 was palpable. Even Kansas City's superstar tight end Travis Kelce went on a limb and made a take that aged quite poorly.

Kansas City sent a compensatory 2023 third-round pick and a sixth-rounder to New York for Toney. Based on how the 2021 first-round wideout's tenure with the Chiefs went, you'd think the Giants made out like bandits in this deal. But looking back at it, the trade didn't work out particularly well for either side.

With the benefit of hindsight, let's evaluate how the Toney swap played out for both the Chiefs and Giants and determine who won the transaction.

NFL trade regrade: Who really won the Chiefs-Giants Kadarius Toney deal?

The third-rounder from the Chiefs ultimately became the No. 100 overall selection in 2023. However, the Giants rerouted the pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for now-retired tight end Darren Waller. Moreover, the sixth-round choice New York received landed them 24-year-old cornerback Tre Hawkins, an intriguing yet developmental prospect.

Many viewed Waller as a marquee addition for the Giants at the time. The seam stretcher instantly got anointed the team's de facto No. 1 receiver, considering they were (and still are) thin on reliable pass-catchers. Instead, things went awry, and he was limited to 12 games in his age-31 campaign because of a hamstring injury.

Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown in his short time with the Giants. So, at least he outproduced Toney before hanging up the cleats this offseason. Regardless, his time in New York left a bad taste in Big Blue Nation's mouth, especially with expectations being sky-high at first.

While Waller's statistical output with the Giants was better than Toney's with the Chiefs, the latter contributed to Kansas City winning Super Bowl LVII. The former Florida standout had the longest punt return in the history of the Big Game (65 yards) and a clutch game-leading fourth-quarter touchdown.

With that in mind, the Chiefs get a slight edge here. But it's safe to say no party necessarily "won" the trade that shipped Toney to Kansas City.

Kansas City Chiefs trade regrade: C-
New York Giants trade regrade: D