Travis Kelce had raved about the Chiefs getting their hands on the Giants WR Kadarius Toney in 2022. But two years later after that high-profile move, Toney is on the lookout for a new franchise. Even though the Chiefs GM had high praise for him after being cut from their roster, the Toney experiment was more of a miss than a hit. He had a turbulent two years in Kansas City and after his highlight reel-worthy moment in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII, his stint was largely disappointing.

Toney was part of a group of players waived by the Chiefs on August 27, as they named their 53-man initial roster. With the Chiefs reuniting with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, the writing was on the wall for Toney. However, not everyone is a fan of the decision.

On Thursday, Pat Mahomes Sr. appeared on an episode of the 2 Gems and a Mic Sports Podcast and talked about Toney getting the boot from the Chiefs. “I didn’t really see it coming,” Pat Sr. asserted, reflecting on the cut of Toney, who’d been expected to make a bigger impact. Despite his ups and downs, the 25-year-old’s potential was evident, especially after his Super Bowl heroics.

Toney’s dramatic 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII was a game-changer, setting up Kansas City’s winning touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. Along with a key receiving TD in that game, the Florida standout seemed poised to become a key asset for the team. But that was as good as it got for him individually.

However, Patrick Mahomes Sr. was surprised that the Chiefs decided to cut him off now despite including him in the pre-season training camp. “After the year that he had last year and then not being on the playoff roster and Super Bowl roster. You thought that would have happened sometime last year, but the fact that they brought him back into camp and let him go through all that,” he added.

Last year he damaged the meniscus in his knee, requiring surgery and forcing him to miss camp and the preseason. He did return for the opening game, but he and the Chiefs faithful may have wished he didn’t. He dropped four catchable passes, including one in which the ball went through his hands and directly to Lions safety Brian Branch. Branch returned the interception 50 yards for a touchdown. Chiefs would lose that game by a point.

Then in a game against the New England Patriots, the Chiefs were leading by 17 points and had possession. However, during the first play of the drive, the ball bounced off Toney’s hands and ended in those of Pats linebacker Jahlani Tavai. This even led to a furious Patrick Mahomes storming off the field.

But Patrick Mahomes Sr. asserted that with the new kickoff rules, “he [Toney] could have been an asset.” And the reason behind this conviction is the fact that Toney could “catch the ball before he had to run,. However, he understood that “the Chiefs’ wide receiver room was really loaded this year, so several guys didn’t make the cut”.

After his mistake in the game against the Patriots, Toney didn’t play another snap for the rest of the season. He was kept away from the postseason lineup as the Chiefs advanced to the Super Bowl but Toney’s troubles didn’t end there. The Chiefs kept him out of the squad from the AFC Championship game against the Ravens citing personal reasons and a hip injury. However, Toney hit out at the Chiefs saying, “I’m not hurt, none of that s—!” during an Instagram live.

Yet, he returned for the Chiefs pre-season camp, making it to the final week of training before the Chiefs announced their roster which brought an end to his tenure.

After joining the team from the Giants in mid-2022 (for a couple of draft picks), Toney made some noise with 16 catches in nine games during his first season. The Chiefs hoped the player would be their top WR, but it didn’t quite pan out. During his tenure in Kansas City, he played 20 total games for the Chiefs, making 41 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

Still, it wasn’t supposed to end this way. When the Chiefs plucked him from the Giants, Travis Kelce discussed the move with his brother Jason in November 2022 on their New Heights podcast. “I don’t know how he got out of that building. I just don’t get it. I don’t get it one bit,” Kelce said about the Giants letting go of Toney. He also expressed that he was happy that GM Brett Veach was able to pull off the signing of an “incredibly talented player” like Toney. Safe to say his comments or assessment didn’t age well.

Talking about Brett Veach, the Chiefs GM also shared his view on Toney’s release.

“Would do it all over again,” Veach has a soft spot for Toney

GM Brett Veach backed the 2022 trade that brought Toney to Kansas City, calling it a win despite some bumps in the road. “I don’t think we’re sitting here going for a third straight Super Bowl [championship] had we not made that trade. So, from that standpoint, we’d do it all over again in a heartbeat,” he told ESPN’s Adam Teicher.

Even though the 25-year-old’s time with KC wasn’t long-term, his role in their back-to-back Super Bowl wins was huge. “It goes both ways. I’m sure there would be things that he’d do differently. He’s a really smart kid, and I do think he’ll figure it out,” he added.

Veach also sounded optimistic about Toney’s future. “If he’s able to tighten up some of the offseason stuff… I think he’ll go out there and make a ton of plays for another team.”

The Chiefs are leaving no stone unturned in preparation for the new season. Toney was part of the seven wide receivers cut by the Chiefs which included Justyn Ross, Montrell Washington,  Nikko Remigio, and others. The Chiefs cut down their roster from 90 to 53.

Now a free agent, Toney’s future’s up in the air. Will he turn things around with a new team, or is this a major setback? Let’s see what happens.