Chiefs seem disinterested in bringing back Mecole Hardman

When I heard the news this week that former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman had signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets, I was surprised.

When I then heard what the contractual details were—one year, $6.5 million—again, I was shocked that the Chiefs chose not to match a deal that seemed more than reasonable.

But what surprised me the most was hearing that the Chiefs, apparently, didn’t even put in the effort to try and bring Hardman back to KC.

At a press conference in New York, Hardman was asked if Kansas City made an effort to re-sign him.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Hardman said. “I don’t know if they offered anything worth talking about or if they were moving on. I don’t know the exact details. They probably offered something, but if they did, it wasn’t probably anything that my agents thought to consider.”

To be frank, I found those comments astonishing.

The Chiefs didn’t even bother to make a decent offer to Hardman? A former Pro Bowler who fits well with the offense, brings plenty of speed and athleticism to the table, can play multiple roles, and won’t break the bank? Wow. A one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million is far from steep, and to hear that Kansas City didn’t even come close to even trying to match that is certainly unexpected.

Now, of course, Hardman’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Just because he said he didn’t get a decent offer doesn’t exactly mean it’s true. Maybe that is just his perception of how the situation unfolded or maybe the Chiefs did put a similar deal on the table that his agent knocked back.

Maybe it is all just smoke and mirrors. Either way, Hardmon’s new deal says a lot about how much the Chiefs value him as a weapon, which is clearly almost not at all. And I think that is strange.

Hardman was a solid player in his four seasons with the Chiefs. He had 2,088 receiving yards on 158 catches and 16 touchdowns, with 125 yards rushing and 2 rushing scores—both of which came last season—as well. His speed has always been his biggest asset, and we saw it used to great effect at times.

2022 was supposed to be Hardman’s big year, but instead, it was hampered by injuries. He featured in just eight games, by far the fewest of his career. He missed the last nine weeks of the regular season and the divisional round as well. He returned to action in the AFC championship game, but he was injured again in the third quarter and did not play in the Super Bowl.

Some Chiefs fans might be glad that Hardman is playing elsewhere, but personally, I would have liked to have seen him come back to Kansas City, especially on the deal he signed with the Jets. I get why Kansas City opted against it. They have Kadarius Toney, a younger, more promising receiver, who will play a very similar role to the one Hardman did.

Kansas City is likely to pick at least one receiver in the draft this year and I’m guessing that they like their chances of being able to grab someone who would be more valuable—and cheaper—than Hardman. But even so, in a thin wide receiver room, I definitely think Hardman would have been worth bringing back for one more year.

With his last contract year derailed by injuries, I would have liked to have seen one proper last look at what he can bring to the table. I would have thought, at a minimum, it was worth putting in an offer to keep Hardman in KC. Apparently, the Chiefs did not feel the same way.