Wide receiver Mecole Hardman already has three Super Bowl rings to his name but he’s back for more this year with the Kansas City Chiefs. The team re-signed him last week after his contract expired in March. On Tuesday, head coach Andy Reid opened up about why the Chiefs ultimately decided to bring Hardman back around for at least one more season.
“He brings good energy, it’s good to have him back out there,” Reid said at OTAs. “I think we know how to use Mecole and I think Mecole knows we know how to use Mecole in the best way. He’s a smart kid, he’s a good learner that way. He’s a speed guy, not the biggest guy out there, but we like those light components.”
Thanks to a probable suspension coming for second-year wideout Rashee Rice this season, Kansas City could use the former Bulldogs star a lot at the beginning of the year. Hardman’s last contract with the Chiefs was for one season, worth $4 million. The details of his new one-year deal reveal he’ll make $1.125 million this season.
“I think (Reid’s) got a great idea of how to put me on the field and get me some targets or opportunities,” Hardman said this week, via the Kansas City Star. “And I ain’t got to relearn nothing (with the playbook). I know everything already. So it’s more comfortable.”
Hardman enters Year 6 in the NFL
Drafted by the Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Draft, Hardman began his career in Kansas City. He played five seasons for them and won two Super Bowl rings before signing with the Jets as a first-time free agent. His 2023 season with New York took a dramatic turn after starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear in Week 1. The team traded him to Kansas City, along with a 2025 seventh-round selection, in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round selection.
Hardman’s return to Kansas City last season came at a very opportune time. He closed out the year playing six regular-season games for the Chiefs, tallying 14 catches for 118 yards. The real benefit came, however, in the postseason. He ended up catching the winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII, helping lift the team over the 49ers in overtime. He finished the championship game with three receptions for 57 yards and the touchdown.
The former Bulldogs receiver has 116 catches, 2,212 yards and 16 touchdowns in 68 regular season games played over the first five seasons of his career. He has another 27 catches, 228 yards and two touchdowns in postseason appearances.
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