Receiver Mecole Hardman returns to the Kansas City Chiefs. The six-year veteran agreed to a one-year contract with the team. reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Hardman signed with the New York Jets as a free agent before last season. However, he was a disappointment in five games, catching only one pass for six yards. The Jets sent him back to the Chiefs, with whom he played during his first four NFL seasons, and it was as if he had never left.
In six regular-season games, Hardman hauled in 14 receptions for 118 yards. He caught seven more passes for 62 yards in the postseason, saving his biggest catch for Super Bowl LVIII.
Hardman caught a three-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes and ran it for a touchdown to give Kansas City an overtime victory and its second consecutive Super Bowl championship. Early in the game, he caught a 52-yard pass and ultimately finished with the Chiefs’ second-highest receiving yardage total at 57 yards.
A second-round pick (No. 56 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft, Hardman has 165 receptions for 2,206 yards and 16 touchdowns in 63 games (28 starts) for the Chiefs. He could end up being a key contributor to a Kansas City receiving corps currently facing uncertainty over the status of Rashee Rice.
Rice faces a likely suspension from the NFL for his involvement in a car accident while racing a Lamborghini in northeast Dallas. He currently faces eight felony charges related to the crash and a $1 million lawsuit from two people who suffered injuries in the crash.
The second-year receiver was also suspected of assaulting a photographer at a Dallas nightclub earlier this month, although no longer facing charges for the incident.
The Chiefs signed free agent Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and selected Texas receiver Xavier Worthy with their 2024 first-round pick to increase his production at the position. But Hardman provides a reliable receiver already familiar with head coach Andy Reid’s offense, along with Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.
Hardman could also return kicks and punts, according to the Kansas City Star. As a rookie in 2019, he made the Pro Bowl returning 27 kicks for 704 yards, including a 104-yard touchdown against the Jets. The following season he scored a touchdown on a punt return against the Miami Dolphins.