Less than two years after delivering one of the iconic plays in franchise history, wide receiver Kadarius Toney is among the players being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, a source told ESPN on Tuesday.
Toney’s 65-yard punt return in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII helped deliver the Chiefs a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Toney, who also scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game, initially was surrounded by Eagles players on the punt return but broke free and cut across the field. He was tackled before reaching the end zone, but the play set up the Chiefs’ final touchdown.
Toney entered the NFL in 2021 as a first-round pick of the New York Giants. He was traded to the Chiefs in the middle of the 2022 season for third- and sixth-round draft picks.
The Chiefs in May declined the fifth-year option on Toney’s contract.
Toney caught 16 passes in nine games that first season with the Chiefs. They hoped he could become their No. 1 wide receiver in 2023 but that never developed.
Another Chiefs Super Bowl hero, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, will make the initial 53-player roster. The Chiefs will keep seven wide receivers on their initial roster.
Justyn Ross is also among the wide receivers waived by the Chiefs, a source said. Ross caught six passes for 53 yards last season.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, added another tight end to the roster, acquiring Peyton Hendershot from the Dallas Cowboys for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick, sources told ESPN.