The Kansas City Chiefs are moving on from a key member of their Super Bowl 58 run.
Longtime Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman is signing a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Hardman etched his name in Chiefs history when he caught the decisive touchdown in overtime to win Super Bowl 58 over the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City selected Hardman in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. The Georgia product shined as a rookie. He caught 41 passes for 538 yards with 6 touchdowns in his first season. He also excelled as the team’s primary returner that season, which earned him a Pro Bowl nod and 2nd-team All-Pro honors.
Hardman returned 27 kicks for 704 yards in 2019, including an electric 104-yard return for a touchdown in the Chiefs’ season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hardman’s skills as a returner make him a perfect match for the Packers. Keisean Nixon, Green Bay’s main kick returner last season, has expressed his desire to focus on becoming the team’s top cornerback. Hardman provides the team with a proven option to replace Nixon.
The Packers will also be without wide receiver Christian Watson, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 18 that will keep him sidelined for most of the 2025 season.
Hardman could fill plenty of holes on a Packers team that had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations last season.
