Is the Kadarius Toney era in New York already coming to an end?
According to Pat Leonard of the Daily News, the Giants are “making calls to see what they can get for the 2021 first-round pick,” apparently looking to end a tumultuous one-year tenure in New York for the dynamic wideout.
Toney was heralded as an athletic playmaker when he was selected No. 20 overall in last year’s draft, but like the whole of the Giants’ offense in 2021, he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness. He played just 10 games last season – missing time during camp and the regular season due to six different injuries and two bouts with COVID-19 – and also had other issues, including an ejection against the Cowboys for throwing a punch and a snafu where he practiced with one shoe due to a cleat size mix-up.
The Florida product had 39 catches for 420 yards and no touchdowns last year, but within that line, Toney had 16 of those catches for 267 yards over a two-week span against New Orleans and Dallas – his 10 for 189 in Week 5 against the Cowboys his high-water marks. Otherwise, he struggled to get any consistency, and never played more than 60 percent of the team’s offensive snaps outside of those two weeks.
Per Leonard, there was “some internal momentum for bailing on Toney during his tumultuous rookie season,” with some on the team questioning his commitment due to “lack of playbook study, poor meeting behavior and frequent injuries.”
Toney was also noticeably absent from the Giants’ voluntary minicamp this week, a situation that fellow receiver Kenny Golladay referenced when he said “everyone should be here.”
Regardless of what the Giants would get for "Yung Joka," trading him after just one season would be an ignominious end to former GM Dave Gettleman’s first-ever trade down in the first round, and a textbook example for Giants fans of Gettleman’s poor track record during his tenure.
As you recall, Gettleman, after seeing Philly make a deal with Dallas to swap the No. 10 and No. 12 picks so the Eagles could draft the Giants’ rumored target, Heisman-winning receiver Devonta Smith, the GM decided to trade the No. 11 pick to Chicago for No. 20 (Toney), No. 164 in the fifth round, and a first-round and fourth-round pick in 2022.
The 2022 first-rounder ended up being No. 7 overall, and the Giants used that No. 164 to move up five spots in last year’s third round to grab corner Aaron Robinson, but the move left the Giants on the outside looking in on several pieces that could have been better fits.
The Bears selected QB Justin Fields at No. 11, and the eight picks between Fields and Toney included three Pro Bowlers (including Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons, All-Pro tackle Rashawn Slater, and QB Mac Jones) and two other offensive linemen, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Alex Leatherwood, who were season-long starters for the Jets and Raiders, respectively.
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