Is Kadarius Toney Malachi Toney's brother? The truth about their NFL connection

Is Kadarius Toney Malachi Toney's brother? The truth about their NFL connection

Kadarius Toney is an American football wide receiver often mistaken for Malachi Toney's brother. Malachi is an American college football wide receiver for the Miami Hurricanes, who had an impressive debut against Notre Dame. While two prominent wide receivers share a last name and football talent, they are not related.

Kadarius Toney is not Malachi Toney's brother
Kadarius Toney at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023, in Arizona (L). Malachi Toney on August 31, 2025 at the Hard Rock Stadium. Photo by Cooper Neill, Doug Murray (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Kadarius Toney and Malachi Toney are not related despite sharing the same last name.
  • Both Kadarius and Malachi play wide receiver, with the former playing at the NFL level while the latter plays college football.
  • Malachi Toney is the son of Antonio Brown, a retired NFL player who played kick returner in the early 2000s for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins.
  • The Cleveland Browns released Kadarius in late 2024 after a series of subpar performances.

Profile summaries

Full name

Malachi Toney

Kadarius Toney

Date of birth

September 17, 2007

January 27, 1999

Age

18 years old (as of 2025)

26 years (as of 2025)

Place of birth

Liberty City, Florida, United States

Mobile, Alabama, United States

Current residence

Florida, United States

Georgia

Nationality

American

American

Ethnicity

African-American

African-American

Height

5 feet 11 inches

6 feet

Weight

82 kg (approx)

88 kg (approx)

Father

Antonio Brown

Dana Toney

Mother

Toni Toney

Angela Williams

Relationship status

Single

Dating Charnesia Lumpkin

Education

American Heritage High School and the University of Miami

University of Florida, Mattie T. Blount High School

Profession

College football player

Professional football player

Team

Miami Hurricanes

Free agent

Position

Wide receiver

Wide receiver

Social media

Instagram

Instagram

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Is Kadarius Toney Malachi Toney's brother?

Despite sharing a similar last name, Malachi Toney and Kadarius Toney are not related and have no blood connection. However, they both play American football as wide receivers. Kadarius is a free agent after being waived by the Cleveland Browns in December 2024, while Malachi plays for the Miami Hurricanes.

Kadarius Toney and Malachi Toney are wide receivers
Kadarius Toney at Allegiant Stadium on January 7, 2023, in Nevada (L). Malachi Toney at Hard Rock Stadium on October 17, 2025, in Florida (R). Photo by Chris Unger, Megan Briggs (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Exploring Malachi Toney's age and early life

Malachi Toney (aged 18 as of 2025) was born on September 17, 2007, in Liberty City, Florida. He started playing tackle football from a young age.

In an interview with CBS Evening News, Toney spoke about the support of his family, especially his mother, Toni Toney, who took care of him and his siblings. He said,

Growing up I didn't have the most money but my mom still grind and put shoes and clothes on our back and feet so for her I'll be forever grateful and thankful.

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Malachi Toney's education

Tony attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, where he earned multiple accolades, including the 2024 Nat Moore Trophy, and led his team to a state championship. He reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 recruiting class to start his college career early at the University of Miami.

At the institution, Malachi has impressed in the field, according to Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal. He said,

He’s special. We were trying to keep him a secret.
Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney
Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney on August 31, 2025, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Photo by Doug Murray (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Is Malachi Toney Antonio Brown's son?

Malachi Toney is the son of Antonio Brown, a former NFL player. Antonio had shorter stints with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins, primarily as a kick returner.

What happened to Kadarius Toney?

In February 2025, Toney was arrested in Georgia for allegedly assaulting a woman and obstructing 911 calls. According to 911 recordings obtained by TMZ, Kadarius strangled the seven-month pregnant woman. In the recording, the woman revealed,

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A warrant for his arrest was issued in late January, before his eventual arrest on February 6, 2025. However, his bail was set at $50,000, and he was released the same day.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, the top athlete addressed the alleged assault. He captioned,

MFs say anything when they think they right & they believe anything…. Long as it’s bad.
Kadarius Toney #19 of the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL football game
Kadarius Toney #19 of the Kansas City Chiefs during an NFL football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by Perry Knotts (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Who picked up Kadarius Toney?

The New York Giants first picked up Toney during the 20th pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was later traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in October 2022. The Cleveland Browns signed him to their practice squad on September 9, 2024, but later released him on December 10, 2024.

Exploring Kadarius Toney's parents and early life

Kadarius Toney (aged 26 years old as of 2025) was born on January 27, 1999, in Mobile, Alabama, United States. His parents are Dana Toney, a Navy veteran who works in the Postal Service, and Angela Williams, who works at Huntington Ingalls, a major military shipbuilding company.

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Kadarius Toney is the youngest of seven siblings. They include a sister named Angela and two brothers named Dana Jr. and Dana III, who have served or are currently serving in the military.

In a May 2021 interview with the New York Post, Kadarius said that his family is one of his driving forces. He said,

I’ll say my family and just my passion for the game. I always pictured myself playing football, even when I was a little.

Toney played high school football at Blount High School, where he served as the starting quarterback during his final two seasons. He later joined the Florida Gators for his college football career, where he had a trailblazing career at the institution.

Kadarius Toney at Nissan Stadium
Kadarius Toney of the New York Giants before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Justin Ford (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Trivia

  • Kadarius set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII.
  • Malachi wants to make it to the NFL to honour his aunt, who passed on from cancer.
  • Malachi Toney is related to Antonio Brown, a retired NFL player.

Final word

While Kadarius Toney is mistaken for Malachi Toney's brother, the two athletes are not related despite sharing the last name. Both athletes shine in football as wide receivers, but their family trees are entirely separate.

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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Bennett Yates avatar

Bennett Yates (Lifestyle writer) Bennett Yates is a content creator with over six years of working experience in journalism and copywriting. He graduated from the University of Nairobi (2017) with a Bachelor's in Information Technology. In 2023, Bennett finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. He has worked for Briefly.co.za for six years now. He specializes in topics like technology, entertainment, travel, lifestyle and sports. You can reach him via email at bennetyates@gmail.com.

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