Jets punter rips Mecole Hardman over critical comments

Oct 2, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman and New York Jets punter Thomas Morstead are very much at odds over Hardman’s time with the Jets.

Hardman, who started the 2023 season with the Jets, was sharply critical of the organization’s culture in a recent interview with “The Pivot” podcast. The wide receiver said there is “no standard” on the Jets offense, and that it was largely based on simply following Aaron Rodgers’ lead. When Rodgers got hurt in Week 1, Hardman said the entire operation fell apart.

The comments were noted by Morstead, who bashed Hardman in a social media post, even pointing out that the wide receiver essentially lost his job to undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson during the season.

Be careful getting information from disgruntled former employees. Getting beat out by a rookie free agent after being guaranteed millions of dollars is tough to deal with. Entitlement is a killer of opportunity. You have to earn it every year.

— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) February 28, 2024

“Be careful getting information from disgruntled former employees,” Morstead wrote. “Getting beat out by a rookie free agent after being guaranteed millions of dollars is tough to deal with. Entitlement is a killer of opportunity. You have to earn it every year.”

That is a pretty brutal comeback from Morstead. Of course, the impact is blunted somewhat by the fact that Hardman was traded back to the Chiefs midseason and wound up catching the Super Bowl-winning touchdown. Morstead is not wrong that Hardman was a failure with the Jets, but Hardman is correct that he knows what a winning culture looks like.