The last time Mecole Hardman tried to make his way outside of Kansas City, things didn’t work out too well. Fortunately, he’s making a splash in his first official offseason with the Green Bay Packers.
Spring practice and minicamp results should be taken with a grain of salt, but the Packers are very impressed with what they see from Hardman so far. It’s sounding like a much different experience than Hardman’s last free agent run with the New York Jets.
Hardman signed a one-year deal with Green Bay in free agency and has put up multiple highlight-worthy plays for the Packers in practice. The Packers’ own social media team has been sharing clips of Hardman making his presence (and speed) felt on offense, as illustrated by this downfield catch of a 70-yard throw from Jordan Love:
That’s good news for Hardman for multiple reasons. First, his last trip away from Kansas City came two years after signing a one-year deal to join the Jets. The former Chiefs receiver ended up sitting as an unused piece on the sidelines, with only 28 offensive snaps in 5 games. The Chiefs eventually dealt for him before the NFL’s trade deadline to bolster a depleted WR corps.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25917691/2180100292.jpg)
The other reason this is important is because he faces some significant competition with the Packers as training camp nears. The team
Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed all had 70+ targets last year, and Christian Watson is back after an injury-laden campaign in 2024. The Packers also invested picks in the first and third rounds of the draft at WR—Matthew Golden and Savion Williams—which means Hardman might have to hope that Green Bay carries seven wideouts just to have a shot at the active roster.
The good news is that Hardman brings a well-rounded skill set to the Packers that includes return ability. He’s also got some hardware to show for his extensive postseason experience. If he’s able to turn heads at camp and keep them pointed his way for the rest of the summer, Hardman might just carve out an impressive niche for himself away from Kansas City for the first time.
