Kadarius Toney's time in Kansas City is at an end.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the Chiefs are releasing Toney ahead of Tuesday's deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to 53, per a source informed of the situation.
Toney now is subject to waivers, and any claiming club would take on his $2.53 million salary in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract after K.C. declined Toney's fifth-year option in the spring.
The move was expected as Toney played deep down the depth chart during training camp. The club's recent addition of veteran receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster all but cinched Toney's fate.
The Chiefs attempted to trade Toney to no avail, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero added.
The former first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2021 will likely have a market, given how tightly teams cling to their pre-draft evaluations. Surely, there is another coaching staff or front office who believes it can unlock Toney's talent despite Andy Reid not being able to find the key.
Injury has played a role in Toney's rocky career. A preseason hamstring injury put him behind as a rookie, and he never caught up after, playing in just 10 games that year. His first season represented a statistical high when he caught 39 passes for 420 yards. He hasn't reached 200 yards in any regular season since.
Big Blue traded him to Kansas City midway through 2022. Toney helped K.C. win a Super Bowl that season with a dynamic punt return and a TD grab in the Lombardi-lifting affair.
K.C. expected big things from the receiver in 2023, but consistency issues and unforced errors plagued Toney. He sat out the final three games and the entire postseason run.
After the Chiefs bulked up their receiver room this offseason, including the additions of Marquise Brown and first-round pick Xavier Worthy, Toney's place on the roster seemed tenuous at best. Tuesday marked the end of the line in Kansas City.
While Toney exited K.C, the Chiefs imported a potential backup for Travis Kelce.
Pelissero reported Tuesday that the Chiefs are acquiring tight end Peyton Hendershot from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick.
Undrafted in 2022 out of Indiana, Hendershot spent two seasons in Dallas, totaling 15 catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, he was buried on the depth chart, playing in eight games and catching just four passes for 38 yards. The Cowboys planned to waive the 25-year-old before finding a taker in K.C. instead.
