Mecole Hardman delivered huge plays at back-to-back practices at Packers minicamp this week. “I think this is a place I can actually get back to be productive.”
GREEN BAY, Wis. – On fourth-and-forever during the starters’ 2-minute drill at Green Bay Packers minicamp on Wednesday, Jordan Love fired a spectacular deep ball to Mecole Hardman, who caught the pass, turned on the jets and scored a 74-yard touchdown.
It certainly wasn’t the biggest play of the seventh-year pro’s career – he caught the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl a couple years ago – but the potential significance shouldn’t be dismissed.
A budding standout as a second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, Hardman’s career has gone sideways. After a dismal stint with the New York Jets, Hardman had 90 receiving yards all of last season for the Chiefs.
“I’m definitely motivated to show a different side of things and playing a certain amount of plays as a receiver and making those contested catches and those different kind of routes I haven’t been running in the past,” Hardman said after Wednesday’s practice.
With 20.7 yards per catch as a rookie and 59 catches in 2021, Hardman looked like a budding standout. During his first three seasons, he caught 126 passes for 1,791 yards and was on his way to a 50-plus catch season in 2022 before an abdominal injury shut him down for the second half of the season.
In 2023, Hardman signed with the Jets in free agency. In five games, he caught one pass for 6 yards. The Jets traded him back to the Chiefs. A reunion with coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t resurrect his career, though. In 18 games with them in 2023 and 2024, he caught 26 passes for 208 yards and zero touchdowns.
Well, he did catch one touchdown.
Mecole Hardman scores the Super Bowl-winning touchdown against the 49ers. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
After catching three passes for 5 yards in the first three playoff games in 2023, he caught three passes for 57 yards in Super Bowl LVIII. With seconds remaining in overtime against the 49ers, he caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to win his third Super Bowl ring.
Hardman signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Packers this offseason, saying coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love were “green flags” to signal this could be where he gets his career back on track.
“I was definitely productive first three years and then end up getting hurt,” Hardman said. “I’m just trying to come back and get back right to where I was, and I think this is a place I can actually get back to be productive.”
He’s taking nothing for granted, though.
“But then again, it’s still to be shown,” he continued. “You still got to make the team, still got to find out a role and get that role. All in all, the end goal is to win the championship. I’m the type of guy, whatever you need me to do I’m going to do, and whatever I need to do, I’m going to help out wherever it’s needed to be.”
The “make the team” part will be the first step. When he signed with the Packers, there was a clear path to doing just that. With Christian Watson out with a torn ACL, Hardman’s 4.33 speed in the 40 could provide a deep threat. But then the Packers drafted Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round.
With the assumption that Watson will start the season on the physically unable to perform list and Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and the rookies will fill five spots on the roster, Hardman will be in contention with Malik Heath and multitasking Bo Melton for a potential final spot.
Hardman wasn’t upset, though.
“I’m all for it,” he said. “It brings different elements to the room, it brings competition to the room. I’ve been in the league seven years, so I’ve never been the type to shy away from competition. Myself, I’ve been in stacked rooms before. The competition makes everything great. Our job as receivers is to make it hard for the coaches to make a decision. All in all, I love the competition that it brings.”
The ace up Hardman’s sleeve is kickoff and punt return. Last season with the Chiefs, he averaged 10.2 yards per return with zero fumbles. He hasn’t been a full-time kickoff returner since his rookie year but averaged 26.4 yards per runback in five opportunities last year. The long touchdown to end Wednesday’s practice, along with a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch during a 2-minute drill on Tuesday, show he’s still got playmaking ability.
Along with championship bling, Hardman brings a wealth of experience. At age 27 and in Year 7, he’s the senior member of the receiver corps.
“I ain’t going to lie, I didn’t know I was going to be the oldest in the receiver room,” Hardsman said. “I’m getting old, man. Year 7, it’s crazy. Just being able to get there and the work that was put into get there, I think being able to relay that to the guys, especially when times get hard or you’re not feeling so well, you’re hurting or whatever, having that experience and let them know, ‘Hey, this is part of it. This is where things happen. This is where you build that and it’s going to get better in the long run. It’s hard now; it’s easier later on.’
“So, just having that experience to actually have gotten to the end game and having to win it, I think that goes a long way, especially for the younger guys, to see that. I’m glad I can give that experience to them and let them know what it took and what it’s going to take.”