The New York Giants need more reliable playmakers at wide receiver. With new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy coming from the Kansas City Chiefs, my first thought regarding a player he might bring with him was wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
On the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast recently, though, Chiefs beat writer Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star suggested a different, more under-the-radar free agent receiver:
Tyquan Thornton.
“I would be more intrigued to see if Nagy brought someone aboard like Tyquan Thornton, who really had a breakout season at the beginning of the year,” Sweeney said.
A check of the numbers shows that Sweeney is right. Thornton caught 19 passes on 37 targets for 438 yards last season, an average of a whopping 23.1 yards per catch. A closer look, though, shows that 13 of Thornton’s receptions and 25 of his targets came in the first five weeks of the season.
Xavier Worthy missed all but three snaps in Kansas City’s first four games. Rashee Rice returned from suspension in Week 7. After those first five weeks, Thornton’s snap share was drastically reduced.
“I’ve had conversations with some of my colleagues at the Kansas City Star and otherwise, and, I wonder what the Chiefs offense would have looked like if Thornton just kept getting snaps and targets,” Sweeney said. “When I look at the two receivers, Brown and Thornton, Brown is going to command more money than what I think his value in production would be, whereas Thornton wouldn’t command that type of salary and was a nice piece for Kansas City, especially early on.”
Spotrac projects Brown’s market value at $5.5 million on a one-year. Thornton made $1.1 million in 2025, and likely would not command much more than that on the open market.
The 25-year-old Thornton is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound 2022 second-round pick by the New England Patriots. Chosen 50th overall, Thornton never lived up to that high draft position. In four seasons, he has just 58 receptions in 42 games. He was actually cut by the Patriots midway through the 2024 season and finished the year on the Chiefs’ practice squad.
Bernd Buchmasser of SB Nation’s Pats Pulpit, covering the Patriots, offered a rather encouraging assessment of Thornton:
“Rare speed, can really stretch the field vertically, showed some flashes as a runner/potential gadget guy. However, he’s only 185 pounds and struggled against press-man or as a blocker in New England. He also missed time with injury and had some issues with drops, sloppy routes and chemistry with the quarterbacks.
“Ultimately, what doomed him in New England was [Bill] Belichick leaving and the new regime drafting two wideouts high to effectively replace him. He opened 2024 training camp as the top X-receiver, got hurt during joint practices with the Packers, and ended up losing his job.
“I do believe the circumstances didn’t help him, though. He played under three different OCs and two HCs in his time in New England. Some stability in that regard might have helped him develop, even though his limitations would likely also have put a cap on his ceiling regardless. If he was on the team today under McDaniels, for example, he probably wouldn’t play much more than 15-20% of snaps because he offers little as a run blocker and really cannot be used in every situation.
“In my opinion, he’s probably best suited as a Z because playing off would allow him a free release and take advantage of his speed. I could see him find success on slants, screens, crossers or maybe even some deeper stuff as long as it doesn’t require him to fight through defenders or break tackles. He probably won’t do any of that consistently enough.”
“Definitely want to be back to Kansas City. But, I mean, I want to — wherever I go — I want to have my fair share of targets go out there and contribute and play at a high level.”
Thornton ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
At the very least, perhaps Thornton could be a replacement for the disappointing Jalin Hyatt. If he has truly begun to find himself as an NFL receiver, perhaps he could be an inexpensive challenger to Darius Slayton as a field-stretching option for Jaxson Dart.
Your thoughts, Giants fans?
