As Chiefs Welcome Back Mecole Hardman, What Happened When 25-Year-Old WR Last Played for the Arrowhead Addicts?

As the deadline for trades looms around the corner, NFL franchises are swapping and trading players in a flurry. It seems like every other day a player has to switch allegiance and change teams. The Kansas City Chiefs, for the most part, have remained quiet in this regard. But they recently brought back a player they had traded. Who’s the player and what does it mean for the Chiefs who want to defend their Championship title?

Other teams that made trades recently include the Pittsburgh Steelers. They released CB Desmond King and signed CB Darius Rush from the Kansas City practice squad. The Atlanta Falcons waived DB Jaylinn Hawkins, while the Minnesota Vikings waived WR Trishton Jackson.

Kansas City Chiefs regains former team member from Jets

On October 18, the New York Jets made a trade which was not much of a loss for them. They had signed WR Mecole Hardman from the Chiefs in 2022. The Jets had signed him on a one-year, $4 million contract, including a $2.5 million signing bonus with $3.6 million guaranteed. But the Jets might just have to write this trade off. After sitting around on the sidelines for almost half this season, he wasn’t put to much use.

The deal, as reported by Daily Mail, comes after the WR played a total of 28 offensive snaps and has had only one reception in five games. The deal also includes the Chiefs trading a sixth-round pick with the Jets’ seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The 25-year-old WR was eclipsed by undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson who scored the winning punt in the overtime in the Jets’ winning match against the Buffalo Bills. Although Hardman never voiced his feelings about being sidelined publicly, it was clear he was underutilized there. And now he is bad where it all began.

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Reunion with Mecole Hardman to give wings to Chiefs’ Super Bowl dreams?

Mecole Hardman was picked by the Chiefs during their second round in 2019. His most productive season was as a rookie. In that season, he recorded 7 TDs, including on kickoff return, and registered a per-catch average of 20.7  yards. But personally, his career-best came in 2021 when he recorded 59 catches and 693 yards. After that, however, his performance tanked and he missed 8 games last season due to multiple injuries.

The trade comes at a time went the Chiefs desperately need a playmaker to help out the Patrick Mahomes–Travis Kelce duo. Sure, there are the likes of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and Skyy Moore, but their performance hasn’t been up to the mark. Not according to the Chiefs’ high standards, at least. The trio have combined stats of 35 catches, 353 yards and 2 TDs. Besides, it’s not like they are bringing in a totally new player. Hardman played his first four seasons with the Chiefs and even helped them win 2 Super Bowls. Will this new reunion help the Chiefs victoriously defend their title once again?

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