Could New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen move on from former first-round pick Kadarius Toney as early as this offseason?
New general manager Joe Schoen is going to leave his fingerprints on the New York Giants’ roster, beginning this offseason. That could include making some difficult decisions, and maybe even some surprising ones.
The Giants chose Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 overall pick in last spring’s NFL Draft, and the former University of Florida star wide receiver had an inauspicious rookie season.
Twice diagnosed with COVID-19, including at the onset of training camp that set Toney behind, significantly, as well as an ankle injury that cost him three games, he struggled to make a consistent impact last season.
As Schoen sets out to trim $40 million in cap space, might Toney wind up on the trading block?
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggests Toney may be a player the New York Giants would shop, listing Toney as a possible surprise trade candidate around the NFL this offseason:
"Kadarius Toney, WR, New York GiantsSigned through: 2024He’s cheap (entering second year of rookie deal) and incredibly talented, but new general manager Joe Schoen didn’t draft him. Dave Gettleman did. So assessing his value doesn’t hurt anything. “He’s either going to be the best receiver in the league, or it completely won’t work out, and I’m not sure there’s much in-between,” an NFC coach said. “He’s electric with the ball, but there are still some concerns about focus and availability.”"
What might Kadarius Toney’s trade value be for New York Giants?
As a rookie, Toney caught 39 passes for 420 yards while flashing high-end explosiveness and elusiveness in the open field.
So, if the New York Giants were to move on from Toney, after just his first NFL season and at age 23, what might his value be on the open market?
“They’d probably be able to get a second or a third-round pick,” an NFC personnel executive tells FanSided, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “The problem with Toney is that he’s a good player but you have to worry about his durability and some of the way he handled himself in the media last season.”
On the surface, Toney is likely the kind of young and explosive player the New York Giants aim to surround quarterback Daniel Jones in this season and beyond.
But, trading Toney after June 1 would create $1.8 million in new cap space in 2022, $3.68 million in cap space in 2023, and $1.28 million in cap space in 2024.
If Schoen and the New York Giants in fact explore trading Toney this offseason, it may be a tough sell given the breadth of the free-agent market at the position and depth of the receiver class in this year’s draft.
“If they start calling around, it’s probably going to be a limited market,” the executive says. “Because there are a lot of really good receivers in this year’s class who are bigger than him and don’t have the medical worries hanging over their heads.”