Tyquan Thornton saw his Patriots tenure come to an end this weekend. The third-year wideout has not needed long to find a new home, though. 
Thornton is signing with the Chiefs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. To little surprise, this will be a practice squad agreement. Should he find himself on the active roster at some point, though, Thornton will have the opportunity to carve out a role on his new team.
More than 12 teams showed interest, including the Saints, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Thornton thus had a number of potential landing spots, and he has elected to join the two-time defending Super Bowl winners. It will be interesting to see how involved he will be in the team’s offense over the remainder of the campaign.
The 24-year-old failed to become a fixture in New England’s passing game before or after head coach Jerod Mayo‘s tenure began in 2024. Thornton was buried on the team’s WR depth chart, something which led to the Patriots shopping him in advance of the trade deadline. With no deals emerging on that front, the Patriots waived him ahead of their Week 11 contest.
No claims were made, making Thornton a free agent. The former second-rounder expressed a desire to quickly find a new situation, and the Chiefs have obliged. Kansas City has undergone a number of changes at the receiver spot this season, one in which Marquise Brown has not suited up due to injury and in which Rashee Rice has been out since October due to knee surgery. Those absences drove the Chiefs’ pursuit of their DeAndre Hopkins trade acquisition, but another addition is now set to be made.
Thornton entered the league with the potential to serve as a capable deep threat, but he has seen his playing time decrease with each passing season. The Baylor product’s most productive campaign came in his rookie year, during which he posted a 22-247-2 statline. A regular spot in the Chiefs’ offense will not be expected (especially earlier on in his Kansas City tenure), but Thornton could develop into a rotational contributor.
In any event, Thornton’s market value for this spring will be determined by his showings down the stretch. Considering the volume of teams which showed interest in him after being cut, a number of suitors could be in play during free agency. For now, though, his attention will turn to acclimating to the Chiefs’ offense as the team looks to bounce back from its first loss of the year.
He’s fast! He can’t run a route or get separation, but he’s fast.
Andy Reid loves shorter fast WRs
6’2” is short?
I meant skinny agile fast WRs like skyy moore and Xavier worthy.
Haha I knew it
Geniuses running the Chiefs!
Genius if you mean a receiver that can’t catch or get separation. Right on the money!
Luckily, this is a practice squad deal.
Mahomes can make any receiver look good, except Toney …
Skyy Moore would also like a word.
Chiefs take every cut/waived WR coming down the road. Ashame Mahomes doesn’t have top-shelf toys to play with, Handicapping best QB in league.
The chiefs are attempting to polish a turd.
This guy sucks. He’s fast. Terrible hands. Crappy route runner. Blocks lke a 80 year old grandma with 2 hip replacements and osteopenia.
This guy is worse than Brucie in The Longest Yard:
“It slipped! I just ate popcorn!”
Close enough, welcome back Kadarius Toney!