According to a team source, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of overtime in Super Bowl LVIII, is re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs for a one-year contract.
As a rookie returner, Hardman was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and was invited to the Pro Bowl. In his five NFL seasons, he has 166 receptions for 2,212 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Hardman signed a one-year contract worth up to $6.5 million with the New York Jets following the 2022 season, leaving Kansas City after four seasons and two Super Bowl titles with the Chiefs. As a non-factor in New York’s offense, Hardman was only targeted three times and managed just one reception for six yards. Midway through October, the Jets dealt Hardman back to the Chiefs for a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick. The move helped Hardman win his third ring with Kansas City.
After the 2023 season, Hardman expressed his dissatisfaction with the Jets in no uncertain terms, saying on the “The Pivot” podcast, “I am telling you right now, I was so checked out, like, it was over with.” I had already said, “Come get me,” to Pat (rick Mahomes) and Brett Veach, the general manager of the Chiefs. A few weeks later, Hardman was acquired by the Chiefs via trade.
Why Hardman is back in KC
As a contributor to each of the Chiefs’ three titles in the previous five years, Hardman has been a part of the team’s dynasty. It makes sense for Hardman to return, as does the Chiefs, who needed a seasoned receiver on the field even after adding youngster Xavier Worthy and rookie Marquise Brown this offseason.
Since second-year receiver Rashee Rice is scheduled to serve a multi-game ban beginning in September for breaching the NFL’s personal conduct rules, Hardman will probably be leaned upon early in the season. Rice was a passenger in a multi-vehicle collision in northeast Dallas towards the end of March. According to authorities, he was the driver of the Lamborghini sport utility vehicle that started the incident, which in turn prompted four other vehicles to get into a chain reaction. Six counts of collision involving injury, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and one count of aggravated assault are all being pursued against Rice. Nate Taylor, beat writer for the Chiefs
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
