When it comes to production from their wide receivers this season, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t gotten much.
Rookie Rashee Rice currently leads all Chiefs receivers this year with 26 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns.
So it wasn’t too surprising when Kansas City recently decided to make a trade with the New York Jets to acquire wide receiver Mecole Hardman, a guy who the Chiefs actually selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Kansas City All-Pro quarterback recently shared what a player like Hardman immediately adds to their roster (via Jordan Foote on Twitter).
“He brings another spark of energy… Other guys that are younger can learn from him.”
#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Mecole Hardman:
"He brings another spark of energy. . . Other guys that are younger can learn from him."
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) October 25, 2023
Despite Hardman only being in the middle of his fifth season in the NFL, he’s technically one of the most experienced players in Kansas City’s current wide receiver room.
During his first stint with the Chiefs, he accumulated a total of 153 catches for 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 125 yards and two more scores in 58 appearances with the team.
After four seasons with Kansas City, Hardman tested the free-agent waters earlier this year and wound up signing a deal with the Jets.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to establish much of a role in the Jets offense this season (just one catch for six yards in six appearances), so New York was clearly fine with shipping him back to the Chiefs.
Hardman made an instant impact in his first game back with Kansas City this past weekend with a 58-yard punt return during the team’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hardman and the Chiefs will attempt to get another win on Sunday when they take on the Denver Broncos.
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