Will Kadarius Toney Return To Chiefs In 2024?

2023 was a bumpy season for Kadarius Toney. Before the regular season started, the wide receiver suffered a knee injury in training camp while shagging punts. This led to some valuable missed time in training camp and in the preseason. Fast forward to the regular season opener, and Toney dropped multiple passes, being one of, if not the biggest, differences in Kansas City’s opening night loss.

Those drops from Kadarius Toney continued throughout the season. Moreover, there was the costly offside penalty at the end of the chaotic matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Toney also dealt with another injury, designated on the injury report as dealing with a hip and ankle ailment, late in the season. In the end, the Florida product wound up missing all of the playoff games on the most recent postseason run.

So after a disappointing campaign, what is in store next for Kadarius Toney? Will the Chiefs bring him back in 2024? If they do, what will usage possibly look like? Let’s kick it off.

2023 Added To Slow-Starting Career

After being a first-round pick in 2021, Kadarius Toney has already been on two teams, each for about a season and a half. Last year’s injury late in the season added to a long list of durability concerns. In three career NFL seasons, Toney has appeared in just 32 of a possible 51 regular season games. And in addition to missing all four playoff games this most recent playoff run, he got hurt in the AFC Championship Game the year before, as well.

Outside of injuries, Kadarius Toney has seen his performance go through peaks and valleys. There are some games where his awareness, body control and ball skills are on full display as a pass catcher. But at the same time, he can easily have multiple drops and fail to get open the next week.

Many different things led to a discouraging season for him in 2023. But going into the year, Kansas City believed Kadarius Toney could be a productive piece for them inside of a weaker wide receiver room. All told, he finished last year with 169 receiving yards, 6.3 yards per reception and one receiving touchdown in 13 games. Somehow, someway, Toney actually had slightly better results in just seven showings with the Chiefs the year prior, after coming to KC via trade. That seven-game stretch in 2022 saw him produce 171 receiving yards, 12.2 yards per reception and two receiving touchdowns for Kansas City.

Chiefs Will Have Decisions To Make

The Chiefs will have a few different decisions to make, regarding Kadarius Toney this offseason. First and foremost, there is the fifth-year option that Kansas City holds on the player. Even though the Chiefs were not the one to draft him, Toney still has a fifth-year option that the team has to decide on, since he was a 2021 first-round pick. He is currently due for a base salary of $2.53 million in 2024, the final year of his rookie deal. If Kansas City were to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason, the Chiefs would pay Toney a salary of $14.435 million in 2025.

Obviously, that is a major pay raise for someone who has struggled to produce and stay on the field. It would of course be a bit shocking to see KC pick that option year up, at this point. They could certainly decline that option and give him one last shot in 2024, at a minimum salary, no less.

But even with that cheaper price tag for this upcoming campaign, is it guaranteed that Kadarius Toney remains with the Chiefs? Kansas City recently signed Hollywood Brown. You could argue that he, Rashee Rice and Justin Watson are seen as the top three wide receivers on the current depth chart. Nevertheless, the Chiefs could still look to sign one more wide receiver in free agency or draft a wide receiver or two in April. With those possibilities, Toney is being knocked down on the totem pole. It would not be surprising if KC let him go this offseason.

Toney Serves Unique Role

Say the Chiefs are to retain Kadarius Toney going into 2024. What exactly does his role look like? Given he is more of a gadget player at this stage, perhaps he is utilized in certain situations like Mecole Hardman was to end last year. Giving Toney opportunities on jet sweeps, pop passes behind the line of scrimmage and on screen passes would likely be the route Kansas City goes with him. The biggest question mark for him in that role is similar to what the Chiefs dealt with when Hardman occupied that spot. Ball security after receiving or toting the rock is something that you are constantly going to have to hold your breath on.

Assuming the Chiefs do keep Kadarius Toney around in 2024, he is likely to be a fourth or fifth option on the wide receiver depth chart. If the offense can get something out of him, here and there, it is an added bonus. But right now, there are very little expectations for Toney, if he returns this upcoming season.