Mecole Hardman: 'No, I won’t go back to the Jets'

Mecole Hardman isn't quite sure what's coming up for him as he hits free agency this offseason, but one thing is clear: he's not going back to New York—at least not with with the Jets franchise.

Last offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs allowed Mecole Hardman to leave in free agency, and he decided to sign with those Jets on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million with nearly $3.6M of it in guaranteed money. Unfortunately, the season didn't turn out anything like the Jets thought it would—and it's hard to tell if Hardman was a part of those sentiments or a result of them.

Mecole Hardman spoke on NFL Network's Total Access about the waiting game in free agency.

When Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury, it screwed over a franchise that had hoped for a short-term solution at the position. Instead of Hardman being a new speedy option for a veteran quarterback, he became a forgotten option right out of the gate on a roster going nowhere. Instead of adding anything to their on-field arsenal, Hardman ended up a healthy scratch on game days.

Shortly before the trade deadline, the Chiefs were dealing with injuries and issues of their own at wide out, so they struck a minor deal to bring Hardman back to K.C. The results were mixed although no one can take away Hardman's game-winning catch in overtime to secure a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers.

What will that mean for the future? Hardman recently sat down for an interview on the NFL Network and said he's just waiting to see what happens with free agency looming once again.

"Right now you’re just hearing talk and seeing what’s going on. What’s people’s ideas and you probably get a better idea as the week goes on. But whenever the free agency starts, you’ll know. We’ll just see if they want me back. If not, we’ll go somewhere else, so we’ll see," said Hardman.

The only thing Hardman could say with any level of certainty was whether the door to New York was open for him. "No, I won’t go back to the Jets," he said with a laugh.

Last season, Hardman had 14 catches for 118 yards in 6 games for the Chiefs.