- Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney was the breakout star of Super Bowl LVII.
- The 24-year-old helped the Chiefs secure the Lombardi Trophy with a TD and historic punt return.
Nobody could catch Kadarius Toney when it mattered most.
The lightning-fast Chiefs wide receiver enjoyed a standout performance on football's biggest stage, helping Kansas City to a 38-35 victory in Super Bowl LVII thanks to a go-ahead touchdown reception and an incredible punt return against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Toney inked his name in the Super Bowl history books with a 65-yard punt return — the longest ever in the history of the big game — during the fourth quarter of Sunday night's thriller. After hauling in Eagles punter Arryn Siposs' boot around his team's own 30-yard line, the 24-year-old juked out several oncoming defenders and bolted across the field before using a line of Chiefs blockers to sprint up the opposite sideline all the way to Philadelphia's five-yard line.
—NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
The historic run set Kansas City up for an easy touchdown just three plays later, giving the Chiefs their largest lead of the night with just over nine minutes remaining on the clock. The breakout play came just one possession after a wide-open Toney caught a five-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes and waltzed into the end zone to tie things up at State Farm Stadium:
—NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
Anyone watching could tell that the Mobile, Alabama, native was instrumental in Kansas City's second Super Bowl victory in a four-year span. But just four months earlier, an injury-riddled Toney was barely suiting up for a completely different team.
The New York Giants, who drafted the former Florida Gators star in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, traded him away on October 27 in exchange for two draft picks. At the time, Toney had played just two games on the season and recorded two receptions for a net gain of zero yards.
Even still, Toney's masterful performance under the bright lights of the Super Bowl had everyone — including several current and former NFL players — questioning why the Giants would part ways with such a game-changing talent.
After joining his teammates for celebrations, Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wondered aloud during a post-game press conference "what the Giants was doing with KT."
"He's a dog," Smith-Schuster added of Toney. "Brett Veach and Andy Reid, they know how to pick and choose who to go get for this team."
—Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) February 13, 2023
Fellow superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. — a former Giant himself — seemingly mocked the New York franchise on Twitter for giving up Toney mid-season.
"And they traded him..... " Beckham tweeted around 9:40 p.m. ET Sunday night, adding: "I just feel like life is ALLLL about situations."
And even though OBJ never used Toney's name, the newly minted Super Bowl champion seemed to get the message. He replied to Beckham's post in the earlier hours of Monday morning with a simple message:
—Kadarius Toney (@0fficialC2N) February 13, 2023
And quarterback-turned-commentator Robert Griffin III noted that watching Toney "BALL OUT in the Super Bowl" must make Giants fans "sick."
—Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 13, 2023
When NFL Network's Stacey Dales asked Toney after the big game what made things "work out" in Kansas City after such a tough stretch in New York, the young star simply replied, "I'm a Super Bowl Champion, that's why."
The big plays came as little surprise to Toney's Chiefs teammates. Running back Jerrick McKinnon marveled at watching Toney work. "Watching him catch punts in practice, that dude is so smooth," McKinnon said. "One time, Tommy [Townsend] hit a pooch punt, and KT just casually walked over there, caught it and then ran off fast as hell. It was cool, though. He got a lot of talent. He's got a lot of raw talent. It's fun to watch him."
After the game, Toney expressed gratitude to the Chiefs for "really accepting me and letting me be the player I can be."
—Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) February 13, 2023