The Kansas City Chiefs have made a multitude of moves on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. Among these include bringing back veteran receivers Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster on one-year deals. By re-signing Brown and Smith-Schuster, Kansas City chose not to bring back other veteran receivers from the 2024 roster.
This includes a veteran who has been part of all three Super Bowl championship teams, Mecole Hardman. On Tuesday night, Hardman signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hardman's departure from the team marks the second time he has left Kansas City in his career.
Source: Free agent WR/return specialist Mecole Hardman is signing with the #Packers on a one-year deal.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 18, 2025
Hardman takes his speed from Kansas City to Matt LaFleur’s offense. pic.twitter.com/KKsbMVKg2G
Mecole Hardman Lands in the Green Bay
The 27-year-old receiver rejoined the Chiefs in the middle of the 2023 season after being traded by the New York Jets. During the six regular season games Hardman played with the Chiefs in 2023, he recorded 14 catches on 21 targets for 118 yards.
While that's far from impactful, he ended the 2023 season by catching the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime of Super Bowl 58. Therefore, his return to the team wasn't a complete waste of draft capital.
That said, Hardman had no impact in the regular or postseason in 2024. This past year, he recorded 12 catches on 14 targets for 90 yards in 12 regular season appearances. As a result, Hardman was kept inactive during the playoffs because of injury and his ineffectiveness.
Even though Hardman's second stint with the Chiefs didn't go well, he was productive when he was first with the team. From 2019-2022, Hardman recorded 151 receptions on 220 targets for 2,088 yards and 16 touchdowns. This proves that when used correctly, the 27-year-old can be a weapon, which is why the Packers signed him.
Although Hardman's time in Kansas City is over once again, Chiefs Kingdom is always willing to welcome him back after what he's done for the team.