From the moment he was selected No. 20 overall in the 2021 NFL draft, it was clear Kadarius Toney would not mesh well with the New York Giants, their fans, or the media.
From the onset, the oft-injured Toney was a problem. He clashed with the team’s beat, mishandled the pressure from fans on social media, and failed to produce on the field. It was an awful cocktail and one that certainly would not last.
In October of 2022, the failed Dave Gettleman experiment had ended. Despite being wide receiver-needy, new Giants general manager Joe Schoen had seen more than enough. He traded Toney — seemingly without hesitation — to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
The Giants and Schoen had attempted to recoup more in exchange for Toney earlier that year but failed to drum up enough interest. In the end, the Chiefs and their high-powered offense took a flier on the potential player and not the actual person.
It was the best the Giants could do. And for Schoen and the organization, it was an addition by subtraction.
Things worked out for the Chiefs. Toney played a key role in Super Bowl LVII, helping Kansas City take down the Philadelphia Eagles. It was, in all reality, the only positive thing Toney had ever gifted the Giants or New York.
His massive back tattoo with No. 89, which he no longer wears, and the Statue of Liberty do not count. Nor does the “GIANTS” tattoo on his inner right arm. Those are now just mere reminders that he couldn’t handle the pressure in the biggest city in the world.
Still, Toney got his Super Bowl ring as a sophomore in the NFL. Many play for more than a decade and never even sniff the postseason. That should have been enough for Toney. If he felt slighted for whatever reason, he got the last laugh. He was a champion.
But for Toney, it wasn’t enough. He had to deliver one final message to the Giants, the city that swallowed him whole, and the fans who twisted him into knots.
The Yung Joka — Toney’s rap game nickname — flipped the bird to all things New York while being sized for his new ring.
Kadarius Toney has a message for the New York Giants…. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/hnK8wT4gbR
— Dante' Jones (@Dantej21) June 21, 2023
“This is for everybody in New York right here,” Toney said while flashing the middle finger with a placeholder ring on the digit.
Remarkably, Toney did not suffer an injury or lose a cleat while making the gesture.
Toney may be on top of the world right now but if his injuries continue and his rap career never takes off, he might be forced to sell that Super Bowl ring sooner rather than later. We’ve seen much better players suffer that same fate.
