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Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 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.
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.
Hardman scored the winning touchdown in overtime of their Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Justyn Ross is also among the wide receivers waived by the Chiefs, a source said. Ross caught six passes for 53 yards last season.
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.
He missed all of training camp after having surgery for a torn meniscus. He returned in time for the start of the regular season but wound up catching only 27 passes. Twice he deflected what appeared to be easily catchable balls to defenders for interceptions.
Toney also appeared to score the winning touchdown after taking a lateral from Travis Kelce late in a Week 14 game against the Buffalo Bills, but the play was wiped out when Toney was penalized for being offside and the Chiefs wound up losing the game.
Toney was inactive for all four Chiefs postseason games.
In 32 games, he has 82 receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns.