There was not a lot that went right for the New York Jets in the 2023 season. Many of their offseason moves, which were made to push the team closer to contention, did not pan out as well as they had hoped.
One of the biggest blunders was signing wide receiver Mecole Hardman. Hardman spent the first four seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and was a solid playmaker for the team.
New York was hoping he would bring some of his red zone prowess to their offense and help get them on track. Along with the offensive production, the Jets were hoping that Hardman would help turn things around on special teams as he had experience as a return man.
None of that ended up occurring. Hardman was an afterthought in the Jets’ offense and did not factor into the mix as a return man. That was, until Xavier Gipson was injured, which led to Hardman ripping into Jets’ special teams coordinator, Brant Boyer.
NFL News & Rumors: Mecole Hardman, Brant Boyer, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets Updates
During a recent appearance on The Pivot, Hardman did not hold back when talking about his experience playing with the Jets. It is something that angers him, saying, “I hate talking about the Jets, they make me so mad bro.”
Things got off to a rocky start in training camp when the Jets asked him to return punts. He told the team that was something a rookie normally does, so they turned to Gipson during training camp.
Gipson excelled and Hardman was informed that the job was no longer his during the regular season. Hardman claims to have gone to head coach Robert Saleh, but nothing was done about the situation.
In Week 4, Hardman and the Jets were set to face off against his former team. This is when the relationship between he and the team disintegrated. Gipson had injured his ankle leading up to the game and Hardman would be returning punts.
NFL News & Rumors: Mecole Hardman, Brant Boyer, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets Updates
The only issue; no one told Hardman this. “As a coach if you’re starting returner gets hurt … that’s something you relate to the next person … that’s what a coach does. You’re in the National Football League, you are not in Pop Warner.”
Hardman detailed that Boyer hadn’t talked to him about returning punts until right before the opening kickoff. That was not something Hardman was willing to do, as he refused the assignment.
“No, I am not returning punts for you bro … why would I want to return punts for you,” Hardman said.
It turns out Hardman’s issues go back to the preseason and he injured his pinky and was dropping punts as a result. Instead of figuring out what was wrong, Hardman claims that Boyer put him on blast in front of the entire team, ruining their relationship before it really got started.
NFL News & Rumors: Mecole Hardman, Brant Boyer, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets Updates
“I am not playing for that man … and ‘do it for the team?’ I am going to be hurting the team if I go back there because I not going to catch the ball. I was so checked out … I already spoke to Veach and Pat, come get me.”
That is an interesting turn of events, as Hardman could have inadvertently just admitted to tampering by talking to another general manager. This could be something the league looks into, as a fine or loss of draft compensation could come from it.
But, that is a slap on the wrist when the outcome is catching the game winning touchdown in Super Bowl 58. Hardman was the recipient of the pass from Patrick Mahomes, resulting in a 25-22 overtime victory for Kansas City as the Jets watched from home.
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