Mecole Hardman didn’t start the season with the Chiefs.
But he now finds himself winning his third Super Bowl in five seasons.
Hardman finished with three catches for 57 yards in the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. That included a 52-yard catch in the second quarter.
But Hardman saved his best catch for last.
Down 22-19, the Chiefs marched down the field to give them a chance to win the game in overtime. That’s when Hardman caught a three-yard, game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes with six seconds left in overtime.
The play Chiefs coach Andy Reid ran was called Tom and Jerry right.
“The corner just fell off on Trav [Travis Kelce], and I was like, I gotta be open,” Hardman said about the play call on NFL Network. “I caught the ball, and I blacked out, man.
“I forgot that we actually won the game for a second.”
Hardman spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs. He won two Super Bowl championships during his time in Kansas City.
But Hardman entered free agency last March and signed a $4 million contract with the Jets, with a $2.5 million signing bonus. Jets coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett hoped they could use Hardman’s speed and versatility to improve their offense. However, that never happened.
Following a less-than-stellar training camp, undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson eventually surpassed Hardman as a returner and wide receiver on the depth chart. Gipson scored the game-winning punt return in overtime in the Jets season-opening win against the Bills and became more a focal point in their offense.
“I just want to play and be on the field,” Hardman said in October. “Whether it’s here or somewhere else, I don’t make that call.
“Whatever happens, happens. I’m just going to work every day and whenever I get a chance I’m going to prove it.”
Because of his lack of playing time and his unhappiness with his role, the Jets traded Hardman last October, along with a 2025 seventh-round pick, in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick. During his time with the Jets, Hardman played only 28 snaps offensively and two on special teams. Saleh made Hardman inactive in the Jets Week 5 victory at Denver.
“I knew I was going to leave, I was just praying I came back to KC,” Hardman said. “With guys, I’ve been with my whole career when I got back, I knew it was a chance we could do this thing.
