Receiver Mecole Hardman returns to the Kansas City Chiefs. The six-year veteran has agreed to a one-year contract with the team. reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Hardman signed as a free agent with the New York Jets before last season. He was a disappointment in five games, catching just one pass for 6 yards. The Jets traded him back to the Chiefs, with whom he played his first four NFL seasons, and it was as if he never left.
In six regular season games, Hardman caught 14 receptions for 118 yards. He caught another seven 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 in for a touchdown to give Kansas City an overtime victory and its second straight Super Bowl championship. Earlier in the game, he hauled in a 52-yard pass and ultimately finished with the Chiefs’ second-highest receiving yards at 57 yards.
Hardman, a second-round pick (No. 56 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft, has 165 receptions for 2,206 yards and 16 touchdowns in 63 games (28 starts) for the Chiefs. He could ultimately be a key contributor to a Kansas City receiving corps currently dealing with uncertainty over Rashee Rice’s status.
Rice is likely to be suspended by the NFL for his involvement in a multi-car accident while racing a Lamborghini in northeast Dallas. He is currently facing eight charges in connection with the crash and a $1 million lawsuit from two people injured in the accident.
The Chiefs signed free agent Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and selected Texas receiver Xavier Worthy with their 2024 first-round draft pick to increase their production at the position. But Hardman offers a reliable pass-catcher who is already familiar with head coach Andy Reid’s offense, along with Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.
According to the Kansas City Star, Hardman could also return kicks and punts. As a rookie in 2019, he made the Pro Bowl with 27 punts 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.
