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Chiefs release WR Kadarius Toney after turbulent outing as Kansas City trims roster

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Two weeks ago, receiver Kadarius Toney was wearing his practice uniform alongside many of his teammates. The Kansas City Chiefs were in the middle of a protective gear practice during the final week of training camp, and the most important part of the day had arrived: the long drive drill, the uptempo unit in which coach Andy Reid has the designated starters do 16 reps in a row, starting with the ball at the 1-yard line.

Toney waited and waited and waited. He never left the sidelines, not even when the second- and third-team players were called up. Toney watched as fellow receivers Skyy Moore, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio – all of whom were vying for one of the final spots on the Chiefs' original 53-man roster – were targeted in preparation for the team's final preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

That moment was the first major sign that the Chiefs were preparing to part ways with Toney, the 2021 first-round pick they acquired in 2022 via an in-season trade from the New York Giants.

“Justyn makes plays; he's out there and made a great catch on the sideline,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said two weeks ago when asked about his assessment of Ross and Toney. “He just continues to grow and not make the same mistake twice. I love his attitude and he's been very committed and really enjoyed this process.”

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Nagy then turned to Toney: “And then Kadarius, it's just about making sure he gets healthy and gets out there so we can see him and see the reps.”

The Chiefs ended their partnership with Toney on Tuesday afternoon when they reduced their roster from 90 to 53 players.

Before releasing Toney, the Chiefs tried to trade him, according to a league source, which would have saved them $2.53 million in salary cap space. If no team claims Toney off waivers Wednesday, the Chiefs will lose $2.53 million in salary cap space, which was supposed to be Toney's salary for the final year of his rookie contract.

“He's a talented kid,” Reid said last week. “He fought to make the team. We never questioned his talent. The most important thing was just that he stayed healthy.”

The partnership between the Chiefs and Toney was turbulent during their 22 months together.

In late October 2022, the Chiefs sent the Giants a 2023 third-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick for Toney as compensation. The Chiefs acquired Toney with at least two more years on his rookie contract – plus the option for a fifth year.

Before the 2021 draft, Reid and general manager Brett Veach coveted Toney for his speed, agility and ability as a punt returner. But the Chiefs spent their first-round pick in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens to get left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. At the time, Veach told his staff to consider a second-round trade if Toney, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, was available. But the Giants took him 20th overall.

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In just his second game with the Chiefs, Toney delivered his most complete performance to date in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, scoring 90 yards and a touchdown with just six touches.

The two biggest moments of Toney's four-year career came on the sport's biggest stage: Super Bowl LVII. In the fourth quarter of the Chiefs' comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Toney scored a 5-yard touchdown from completely open space. He later delivered a crucial 65-yard punt return, the longest in Super Bowl history, setting up another Chiefs touchdown. After the game, Toney called Reid the smartest coach in the league.

“I'm just grateful to the organization for really accepting me and letting me be the player I can be,” Toney said at the time. “The environment is just life-changing, just the energy you feel in the building day in and day out. It's different.”

Toney's time in Kansas City after that game was a disappointment.

Last year, the Chiefs did not sign a receiver in the offseason because Reid and Veach expected Toney to emerge as their No. 1 receiver.

“Last year you saw what an extraordinary talent he can have,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of Toney in April 2023. “If he works with Coach Reid and trains the way we did in training camp, I think he'll get his body in the best shape possible to be healthy all season long.”

But minutes into the first practice of camp, Toney injured the meniscus in his knee while attempting to change direction after catching a punt. That injury required surgery and forced him to miss camp and the preseason. He returned in time for the Chiefs' season opener, but his performance was disastrous. Toney dropped four catchable passes in the Chiefs' loss, including one where the ball went through his hands right to Lions safety Brian Branch, who returned the intercepted ball 50 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs lost the game by one point.

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Later in the season, Toney committed an offside in a loss to the Buffalo Bills that cost the Chiefs a leading touchdown.

In the following game against the New England Patriots, the Chiefs were leading by 17 points and had the ball in the fourth quarter. Mahomes told his teammates in the huddle to protect the ball. The first play of the drive ended in an interception when a short pass to Toney bounced off his hands and into the hands of linebacker Jahlani Tavai. Mahomes stormed off the field and to the Chiefs sideline. As he sat down on the bench, he screamed loudly enough for all of his teammates to hear.

“I just fucking said it, man!” Mahomes said.

Toney did not play another snap for the rest of the season. In 20 games for the Chiefs, Toney recorded 41 catches for 340 yards and scored four total touchdowns.

The Chiefs won four postseason games without Toney, winning back-to-back NFL championships for the first time in two decades. But even during that time, Toney made another mistake that he admitted to just days before Super Bowl LVIII. Just hours before the Chiefs played the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, Toney went on an Instagram Live rant saying he did not have the hip or ankle injuries the Chiefs said he had. The day before the game, the Chiefs listed Toney as ineligible to play due to personal reasons and a hip injury.

“I'm not hurt, none of that shit!” Toney shouted on Instagram Live.

Toney was not on the Chiefs' injury list before the Super Bowl, but he was a full-time member of the team when it was in Las Vegas.

“I'm doing everything I can to show that I'm an asset,” Toney said in early February when he last spoke to reporters.

When training camp began in July, Toney's chances of making the Chiefs' first roster were slim. To increase his value, Toney split some of his training camp workouts and worked as a running back.

However, he missed a week of practice due to an ankle injury and then the Chiefs' season-opening game due to a back injury.

Toney's first snap of the preseason against the Lions was awful: He committed two penalties when he covered tight end Irv Smith Jr. and then held cornerback Khalil Dorsey while attempting to block running back Deneric Prince on the perimeter.

When the Chiefs signed veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday, it was virtually clear that Toney would not be on the initial roster.

“I'm just trying to stay the player I can be at any time, no matter what people say,” Toney said in early February. “(I'm) humble about it. Whenever my opportunity comes, I'll be there.”

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Other squad changes

Two undrafted rookies, fullback Carson Steele and cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace, have earned a spot on the Chiefs' first roster. Steele and Roland-Wallace could both be in uniform on opening night when the Chiefs host the Ravens, as they are valuable on special teams.

The Chiefs have released running back Louis Rees-Zammit, one of the former best wingers in world rugby. Rees-Zammit finished the preseason with seven touches for 25 all-purpose yards and one tackle on special teams. He averaged 31.5 yards as a kickoff returner. Rees-Zammit left practice on Monday with a back injury. If no team claims him off waivers, the Chiefs hope to sign Rees-Zammit to their practice squad.

The Chiefs also plan to add Ross and Remigio to their practice squad, along with young players like Prince, quarterback Chris Oladokun and linebacker Swayze Bozeman.

Late Monday night, the Chiefs signed defensive end Cam Thomas from the Arizona Cardinals for a seventh-round pick in 2025.

In a minor surprise, the Chiefs released veteran tight end Irv Smith Jr. on Tuesday. They needed the space for tight end Peyton Hendershot, whom they signed from the Dallas Cowboys for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026.

(Photo: Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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