Wide receiver/kick returner Mecole Hardman joining Packers on one-year
deal, AP source says
[March 19, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Wide receiver/kick returner Mecole Hardman has agreed
to a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, according to a person
familiar with the situation.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because a signing hasn’t
been announced. The person didn’t reveal financial terms. |
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (17) enters the field
before an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Kansas
City Chiefs, Nov. 24, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman,
File) |
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ESPN first reported that Hardman was joining
the Packers.
Hardman is best known for capping the 2023 season by catching a
3-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime to give
the Kansas City Chiefs a 25-22 Super Bowl victory over the San
Francisco 49ers.
He caught just 12 passes for 90 yards in 12 games last season.
His last game of the season came on Nov. 29 before he was placed
on injured reserve with a knee issue.
Hardman also had five carries for 62 yards and a touchdown last
season. On special teams, he returned 20 punts and five
kickoffs.
The 27-year-old Hardman has spent most of his career with the
Chiefs, who selected him out of Georgia in the second round of
the 2019 draft. Hardman played for the Chiefs from 2019-22,
started 2023 with the New York Jets, then got traded back to
Kansas City midway through that season.
Hardman has 178 career catches for 2,302 yards and 16
touchdowns.
The speedy Hardman gives the Packers some more options at wide
receiver as they deal with the likely absence of deep threat
Christian Watson for a chunk of the upcoming season. Watson tore
his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the
Packers’ regular-season finale.
Hardman’s experience as a returner also could prove handy. Green
Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon was an All-Pro kickoff returner in
2022 and 2023, but he told reporters after the season that he
didn’t want to return kicks anymore so that he could focus on
his expanded role on defense.
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