By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-19 00:46:45 | Updated at 2025-03-20 15:40:13
1 day ago
Mecole Hardman Jr is signing for the Green Bay Packers on a one-year contract following his Kansas City Chiefs departure, according to reports.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler claims Hardman, who scored the winning touchdown in the Chiefs' dramatic 2023 Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers, is heading to Green Bay after being released by Kansas City for a second time this offseason.
The 27-year-old wide receiver and return specialist only spent another 18 months at Arrowhead after being traded back by the New York Jets in 2023.
He began his NFL career with the Chiefs, who selected him out of Georgia with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.
After helping Andy Reid's men win two Super Bowls, Hardman was let go by Kansas City at the end of the 2022 campaign, before he moved to New York to sign with the Jets.
However, his time at MetLife Stadium proved short-lived when he lost his starting spot to two rookie wide receivers and swiftly requested a trade.
Mecole Hardman Jr is signing for the Packers on a one-year contract after leaving the Chiefs
Hardman scored the winning touchdown in Kansas City's 2023 Super Bowl triumph (pictured)
The Chiefs then came calling for a second time, bringing Hardman back in October 2023 as part of a trade which saw the Jets swap a seventh-round pick for a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
At the end of that season, the wideout proved the hero in their sensational Super Bowl triumph in Las Vegas.
Hardman took the championship-winning catch from Patrick Mahomes in the dying seconds of overtime as the Chiefs saw off the Niners to secure back-to-back titles, cementing his place in Kansas City folklore forever.
Last term, though, he failed to make an appearance in the playoffs after suffering a knee injury which ended his campaign at the end of November.
The Georgia-born star, who featured 22 times in his second stint with Kansas City while registering 270 receiving yards, will now join a Green Bay offense which already includes quarterback sensation Jordan Love, receiver and punt returner Jayden Reed and running back Josh Jacobs.
The Chiefs are set for a major revamp this offseason after failing to retain their Super Bowl crown in 2024.
Earlier on Tuesday, former defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, who collected three Super Bowl rings in seven seasons in Kansas City, put pen to paper on a deal with the Jets.
The likes of Justin Reid and DeAndre Hopkins have also waved goodbye to the Chiefs after being released this offseason.
