Wide receiver/kick returner Mecole Hardman joining Packers on one-year deal, AP source says

Wide receiver/kick returner Mecole Hardman has agreed to a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because a signing hasn’t been announced. The person didn’t reveal financial terms.

ESPN first reported that Hardman was joining the Packers.

Hardman is best known for capping the 2023 season by catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes in overtime to give the Kansas City Chiefs a 25-22 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

He caught just 12 passes for 90 yards in 12 games last season. His last game of the season came on Nov. 29 before he was placed on injured reserve with a knee issue.

Hardman also had five carries for 62 yards and a touchdown last season. On special teams, he returned 20 punts and five kickoffs.

The 27-year-old Hardman has spent most of his career with the Chiefs, who selected him out of Georgia in the second round of the 2019 draft. Hardman played for the Chiefs from 2019-22, started 2023 with the New York Jets, then got traded back to Kansas City midway through that season.

Hardman has 178 career catches for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The speedy Hardman gives the Packers some more options at wide receiver as they deal with the likely absence of deep threat Christian Watson for a chunk of the upcoming season. Watson tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Packers’ regular-season finale.

Hardman’s experience as a returner also could prove handy. Green Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon was an All-Pro kickoff returner in 2022 and 2023, but he told reporters after the season that he didn’t want to return kicks anymore so that he could focus on his expanded role on defense.

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AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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