Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is not expected to play Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Toney was one of the stars of Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory last year over the Philadelphia Eagles but has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play this season.
Toney hasn’t played since a Week 15 game against the New England Patriots in which he deflected a pass to a defender for an interception for the second time this season. He was not listed on the Chiefs’ injury report, however, for the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said “we’ll see” when asked Tuesday whether Toney would play, adding that Toney has “been practicing, we’ll just see whether he’s up or not.”
Toney also made headlines off the field earlier in the postseason when he said he was “not hurt” in a viral Instagram Live post after the Chiefs’ victory in the AFC Championship Game. Those comments were interpreted as Toney saying he didn’t have the hip and ankle injuries that the Chiefs had listed for him on their weekly injury reports.
Toney clarified last Monday that his profanity-filled rant was directed at fans of his former team — the New York Giants — and that he “never attacked the Chiefs, never said anything about the Chiefs.”
The Chiefs were counting on Toney to carry a big workload this season, but he has just 27 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. He also was called for an offside penalty in a Dec. 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills that negated his go-ahead touchdown on an improvised lateral from Travis Kelce. Reid later said Toney didn’t check with the sideline official to make sure he was lined up correctly.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
Sources: Seahawks hiring Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator
Adam Schefter breaks down the Seahawks’ decision to hire former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their head coach. (1:14)
The Seattle Seahawks are hiring former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to the same position on new coach Mike Macdonald’s staff, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel on Friday.
Grubb had accepted the Alabama offensive coordinator job after spending the past two seasons at Washington under former Huskies and current Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer, coordinating a pass-heavy offense that ranked sixth in the FBS in yards per game (487.0) and sixth in scoring (36.7) in that span. With Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback, the Huskies led the FBS in passing yards per game (355.8) the past two seasons and ranked 15th in dropback percentage, calling passing plays 61.8% of the time.
Grubb was set to be Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, having followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa when he was hired in January after Nick Saban retired. Washington had passed on hiring Grubb as DeBoer’s replacement.
Instead, Grubb will return to Seattle for his first job in the NFL. He becomes the third coordinator hired to Macdonald’s Seahawks staff. They have tabbed Jay Harbaugh to run special teams and Aden Durde to coordinate their defense, though Macdonald will call plays on that side of the ball. Seattle has also hired Leslie Frazier as assistant head coach.
Grubb is expected to bring Alabama offensive line coach Scott Huff with him to the Seahawks, sources told ESPN. Huff coached Washington’s offensive line for the past seven years, including the past two with Grubb. Last season, the Huskies’ offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the top line in college football.
At Washington, Grubb also served as the Huskies’ quarterbacks coach, working closely in that role with Penix, who threw a combined 67 touchdown passes in 28 games over the past two seasons. Penix finished runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting in December.
That connection will fuel speculation about Seattle drafting Penix, who is widely projected to be taken in the first two rounds. The Seahawks own the 16th overall pick, no second-round pick and an extra third-rounder.
Geno Smith is under contract for two more seasons and $47.5 million, though he might not be a lock to remain Seattle’s starter after an up-and-down 2023 season. That total includes a $12.7 million base salary for 2024 that will become fully guaranteed if Smith is still on Seattle’s roster on Feb. 16.
Grubb replaces Shane Waldron, who served as Seahawks’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons and was hired to the same position with the Chicago Bears in January after Seattle fired Pete Carroll.
Grubb had worked with DeBoer in four previous stops and served as offensive coordinator for all four programs: Washington, Fresno State, Eastern Michigan and Sioux Falls. He began his college coaching career in 2005 at South Dakota State, working with wide receivers and running backs, and has also coached the offensive line and quarterbacks during his nearly two decades in the college ranks.
While Grubb has never worked in the NFL, Macdonald said during his introductory news conference that NFL playcalling experience wasn’t a prerequisite for his offensive coordinator in Seattle.
“It’s not near the top of the list,” Macdonald said. “We’re looking for the right person to come in here and build this thing, so we want someone that’s open-minded, that has a growth mindset, that can connect with their players and build a system that’s unique to the Seattle Seahawks, that’s going to live here a long time and he’s going to be the one spearheading it.”
The Seahawks had requested an interview for their offensive coordinator vacancy with Detroit Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, according to the MMQB. Former UCLA coach Chip Kelly and former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson were also among their interviews, sources told ESPN. The New York Giants blocked a request to speak with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who had previously interviewed twice for Seattle’s head-coaching vacancy.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.
Chiefs activate RB Jerick McKinnon, but Super Bowl status TBD
Watch the takeover of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s romance on and off the football field. (0:44)
The Chiefs will decide before Sunday’s game whether McKinnon will play.
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McKinnon hasn’t played since a Week 15 game against the New England Patriots because of a groin injury. He played in 12 games this season, mostly as a third-down back, with 25 catches for 192 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.
In Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles last year, McKinnon rushed four times for 34 yards and caught three passes for 15 yards.
The Chiefs also placed guard Joe Thuney on injured reserve Saturday and activated nose tackle Mike Pennel Jr. from the practice squad. Thuney on Friday was ruled out for Sunday’s affair because of a lingering pectoral injury.
The 49ers, meanwhile, promoted defensive linemen Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill to the active roster from the practice squad.
The team also downgraded defensive lineman Kalia Davis from questionable to out because of an ankle injury. Davis was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 20, but was eligible to be activated for Sunday’s game.
