Amani Toomer Joins Kansas City Chiefs

Former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer has signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will be Toomer's second NFL team, and Toomer be a starting wide receiver and probably their number one or number two receiver. Toomer will join the other relatively unknown wide receivers on the team, Bobby Engram, Dwayne Bowe, and Mark Bradley. Toomer was on the practice field, Tuesday, with his new Kansas City teammates. The Chiefs had a makeover this season with new head coach Todd Haley and newly acquired quarterback Matt Cassel.

The 34-year-old Toomer had played his entire 13-year NFL career with one team, the New York Giants. Toomer was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft, with the 34th overall pick by the New York Giants. In Toomer's first two seasons with New York, he was mainly a punt and kick returner, returning two punts for touchdowns in his rookie season and one more in his second season. Toomer shared punt returning and wide receiving duties in his second NFL season. Toomer got low playing time in his third NFL season but had success. In the 1999 NFL season, Toomer became a starting wide receiver for the team, and set a team record for most receptions for a season (79). Amani had success in his next few seasons, and became the first Giant to have three consecutive 70-reception seasons. Toomer excelled in the 2002 football season, catching 82 passes, for 1,343 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. Toomer is the Giants all-time leading receiving yardage leader.

Amani's career achievements include being on the first-team and second-team All-Big Ten in college and winning a Super Bowl ring two years ago when the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Toomer also helped the Giants reach many playoff appearances and another Super Bowl in 2000, which the Giants lost. Amani has career numbers of 668 receptions, 9,497 receiving yards, and 54 receiving touchdowns. Toomer has a chance to reach 10,000 career receiving yards this season, and will get plenty of playing time to do it.

Last season the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the worst teams in all of football, finishing with a record of 2-14 and only winning six total games in the last two seasons combined. The only team that was worse than the Chiefs last year was the Detroit Lions, and they went winless, becoming the first team to ever finish the season, 0-16.

The Chiefs obviously don't want to repeat what they did last year, and with the signing of Amani Toomer and the acquisition of Matt Cassel, Kansas City is going in the right direction.