Chiefs 'Love' Mecole Hardman, Open to Bringing Him Back

The Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII performance, like the one before it, had an unsung hero come away with a huge play late in the contest. This time, it was wide receiver Mecole Hardman who stepped up on the biggest stage.

In the aftermath of his championship-winning play, though, Hardman is slated to become a free agent for the second offseason in a row.

In 2023, the former second-round pick was coming off an up-and-down tenure with the Chiefs spanning his rookie contract. He looked like a promising piece at some times but at others, he failed to make progress and appeared to be stuck in a defined role within the offense. Ultimately signing with the New York Jets, his stint there lasted just weeks into the regular season before Kansas City traded for him back.

Perhaps serving as an encapsulation of his career thus far, Hardman's second go-around with the Chiefs was as tumultuous as the first. But it ended on the highest of notes, which is something he can be happy about entering the offseason. Speaking at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, head coach Andy Reid praised Hardman for the job he did pushing through adversity and remaining productive. 

"Yeah, so listen, I'm not saying anything about the Jets because everybody doesn't fit into every situation," Reid said. "That's just not how it works in this league. We've had Mecole, we kind of know how he fits into our scheme, and he did a nice job with that. He came in, worked hard and was productive for us. He had a couple of hiccups early, but he worked through those. We knew he would. And he ended up having some great plays in the Super Bowl."

Hardman doesn't seem to know what the future holds for him. Just last week, he told NFL Network "we'll see" if the Chiefs want him back. "If not, it might be somewhere else," he continued. The market for him, likely similar to last offseason, doesn't figure to be anything too crazy. At 25 years old and now seasons years into his career, however, he still has plenty to offer teams and is an intriguing speed piece on offense with special teams versatility as well.

A return to Kansas City makes a good deal of sense, especially if Hardman were to play a slightly reduced role moving forward. General manager Brett Veach, who spoke after Reid at the Combine, said the team will attack wide receiver "much like any position" on the roster this offseason. Changes should be coming at or near the top, although that isn't where Hardman would be asked to slot in. Veach spoke highly of his opening draft selection from 2019, indicating that a dialogue between the organization and Hardman's representation is imminent. 

"Yeah, we'll get the chance to meet with him and his agent," Veach said. "Love Mecole. If there's an opportunity there that makes sense for him and us, I'm sure we wouldn't be opposed to going down that road. When you have a guy that has played in this offense and understands all the verbiage, all the dialogue, all the play checks... that's why — we didn't have a lot of ammunition to do much at the trade deadline last year — that one just kind of opened itself up where the price wasn't much and our coaches knew him, he knew us and it worked out. I'm thrilled for him for that last play. What a turn of events for him. Love Mecole, and I'm sure we'll be in contact with him." 

As Veach mentioned, having familiarity isn't always a bad thing. Role players can impact postseasons, as evidenced by the Chiefs' recent playoff run. Regardless of whether Hardman finds himself back where it all started, both sides are clearly open to that happening. In a sport where relationships are as important as ever, that's something to monitor in the coming days and weeks.