Giants explore trading WR Kadarius Toney, source says
Kadarius Toney #89 of the Giants runs with the ball after making a catch against the Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium on Oct 17, 2021. Credit: Mike Stobe
The Giants may be through with their first-round pick from 2021 before they even make their first-round pick in 2022.
The team has begun exploring options to trade wide receiver Kadarius Toney, a source confirmed on Friday night. The second-year player selected 20th overall a year ago has been a no-show at voluntary offseason workouts this month including this past week’s voluntary minicamp. Head coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday that Toney had yet to even pick up his new playbook. The Daily News was first to report the Giants making calls around the league to gauge interest in Toney via trade.
General manager Joe Schoen said earlier this offseason that few players were exempt from the possibility of being shopped.
“I’m open to everything, whether it’s trading player for player, I’ll listen to anybody if it’s trading a couple players,” he said in March. “I’m not going to say the entire roster, we’re open for business on the entire roster, but if anybody’s going to call and they’re interested in any of our players, I’ll certainly listen.”
Toney’s absence, apparently, has sparked the outgoing calls in this matter.
Toney is a very talented athlete who has given the Giants more headaches than highlights in his brief career. He played in just 10 games as a rookie, catching 39 passes for 420 yards and no touchdowns. A large part of that production (16 catches for 267 yards) came in a two-game stretch against the Cowboys and Saints in early October. Beside that, Toney was sidelined with a number of injuries and other issues that kept him away from the team.
Both Daboll and Schoen said they had spoken with Toney since they were hired in January.
“I've had good talks with K.T., good talks with some of the other guys,” Daboll said this week. “I'm encouraged with where we are with our participation, what we've been doing. We're going to keep working in the right direction."
Said Schoen on Wednesday: “I've had good conversations with Kadarius. We've been in contact. At the end of the day it's voluntary. That's what it is."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
