Kadarius Toney may or may not be playing for the Giants next season. However, the fact that he hasn’t been a full participant during OTAs has nothing to do with the trade drama. According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News (and passed along by Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com), the wide receiver recently had a knee scope.
[RELATED: Giants GM: Kadarius Toney Not Being Shopped]
This explains why Toney was spotted in a red jersey during this week’s practices. Fortunately for the Giants (or potential suitors), the arthroscopic surgery shouldn’t sideline the wideout for very long, and he’s expected to be good to go by the time training camp starts.
The Giants have reportedly listened to offers on the 2021 first-round pick, but the organization has also made it clear that they’re not actively shopping the wideout. The intriguing Florida product has struggled to stay on the field and been a bit of a headache off it for the Giants, leading to some tension. The organization also raised some eyebrows when they selected receiver Wan’Dale Robinson in the second round of the 2022 draft, adding the rookie to a crowded depth chart that also features Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton.
While Toney may have started to wear out his welcome in New York, he’d still be a hot commodity on the trade market. He showed plenty of flashes as a rook, finishing the 2021 campaign with 39 receptions for 420 yards despite inconsistent play from the QB position. Further, as our own Sam Robinson recently pointed out, the Giants would take on $11MM in dead money by trading him. That means a suitor would only be on the hook for Toney’s rookie-deal base salaries, creating some additional value in trade talks.
What a weirdly written article. Couple the headline with the first sentence and you’d think that Toney might miss the season. Next two sentences tell us that he might not play for the Giants, but due to injury and not the trade talk.
Second paragraph: he should be fine by training camp. So… what was the point of hinting that he might not play for the Giants due to injury?
Third paragraph: the trade talk is overblown. Don’t worry about it. Oh, wait. Maybe you should because they drafted another WR?
And then close out the article by puffing up the trade rumors based on no actual information from the Giants. I normally don’t pick on the writers here, but this is a roller coaster of an article with no cohesion.
The weirdness surrounds Toney — odd injuries, an inability to be capable of practicing, and difficulty to learn the playbook.
Another wasted pick by Gettleman who is likely gone after 2022.