Can Chiefs squeeze any further value out of Kadarius Toney?

For all of the issues that follow Kadarius Toney around the National Football League, there's one positive about Toney that everyone can agree on: he's incredibly gifted. And in a league where the slightest edge on the field can make the difference between winning and losing, it feels like some team could be interested in giving the maligned wide receiver another chance, right?

To catch readers up to speed, the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of making their final roster cuts before the 2024 regular season and 99.9 percent of Chiefs Kingdom has Toney already out the door. A full season of miscues and dropped passes followed by a forgettable preseason showing and a short-term run filled with injuries and inconsistency have almost certainly pushed Toney out the door.

At this point, the Chiefs seem set to go with Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, and Skyy Moore at the position with maybe a Nikko Remigio and/or Justyn Ross addition in there somewhere.

But for all of his headaches, it's hard to forget moments like this from Kadarius Toney in the last year or so:

These are things you cannot teach a player. It's the eye-popping jukes and cuts. It's the ability to change direction on a dime and accelerate so quickly. It's the vision displayed and the instincts on when to stay patient or turn on the burners.

Of course, that also comes with the attitude concerns, the lack of availability, the buttered fingers, the mental errors, and costly penalties. The script is so familiar that we're all beyond arguing for his inclusion at this stage.

But for a team that hasn't been affected by it personally, and for fan bases who've yet to suffer through a Toney meltdown personally, you'd think the potential juice could prove worth the squeeze. The Chiefs paid a third and a sixth for Toney not too long ago. Wouldn't it make sense for a veteran team with a positive culture to take a flyer on Toney for the classic bag o' balls?

How about a talent-deficient team like the Carolina Panthers? Why not figure out a way to swap conditional late-round choices for the rights to give Toney another chance of scenery? Or maybe a playoff team with the margin to kick the tires on a mercurial player to see if he'll play nice?

Chances are, the Chiefs will just slip Toney's name onto a list of numerous other cuts and that will be the end of it. But it feels possible—even the teensiest bit—for K.C. to find a way to squeeze a bit of value out of Kadarius Toney as they're also waving goodbye.