As the Kansas City Chiefs look to bolster their wide receiving corps, they’re welcoming back a familiar face.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs have acquired wide receiver Mecole Hardman in a trade with the New York Jets.
Selected out of Georgia in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Hardman spent the first four years of his career in Kansas City, where he was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. As a rookie in 2019, he was named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro after returning 27 kicks for 704 yards and one touchdown, including a long of 101 yards.
Throughout Hardman’s time with the Chiefs, he was utilized as a deep threat, helping open up the rest of the offense for star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In 57 regular-season games with Kansas City, he caught 151 passes for 2,088 yards and 16 touchdowns, adding 22 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns in 10 career playoff games.
After his rookie contract with the Chiefs ran out following the team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles in last season’s Super Bowl, the 25 year old signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets. But after quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured four plays into the season, Hardman caught just one pass in six games, leading to speculation he could be dealt ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
According to Schefter, the Chiefs are sending the Jets a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick and Hardman.
