Hardman earned that nickname given that he sealed the victory for the Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. In overtime, Hardman capped off a 13-play, 75-yard drive by catching a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which handed Kansas City the victory.

Hardman led all Chiefs receivers in receiving yards in the Super Bowl (57) and was one of two players to catch a TD pass from Mahomes, the other being Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Mecole Hardman Started With Jets, ended With Chiefs

Hardman’s clutch performance in the Super Bowl capped off a crazy season for the fifth-year veteran.

After four seasons with the Chiefs, Hardman took to free agency last offseason and signed with the New York Jets, who traded for superstar QB Aaron Rodgers in April.

Hardman’s 2023 season got off to a rough start, however. With Rodgers sidelined for the entirety of the season following a torn Achilles in Week 1, Hardman caught 1 pass for 6 yards in five games in New York with QB Zach Wilson under center.

After failing to carve out a consistent role on offense in New York, the Jets traded Hardman to Kansas City in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick on October 18.

In six regular season games with the Chiefs, Hardman caught 14 of 21 targets for 118 yards.

For most of the postseason, Hardman was quiet. But his performance in the Super Bowl put to rest any questions regarding whether he was worth the future sixth-round pick given to the Jets in exchange for his services.

Mecole Hardman: Super Bowl Legend

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— Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) February 12, 2024

During his time in Kansas City, Hardman caught 166 passes for 2,206 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 63 regular season games, according to Pro Football Reference. He also ran the ball 22 times for 128 yards and scored 2 more touchdowns on the ground.

Chiefs 2024 Free Agents

Here’s a list of the Chiefs players who are set to hit free agency in 2024:

• Chris Jones
• Mecole Hardman
• Mike Edwards
• Drue Tranquill
• Donovan Smith
• Clyde Edwards-Helaire
• Tommy Townsend
• Nick Allegretti
• Tershawn Wharton
• Prince Tegan Wanogho
• James Winchester
• Willie Gay Jr.
• Blaine Gabbert
• Jerick McKinnon
• Derrick Nnadi
• Richie James
• Blake Bell
• Deon Bush
• L’Jarius Sneed
• Jody Fortson
• Michael Danna
• Jack Cochrane
• Nazeeh Johnson
• Mike Caliendo

Twitter/X Reacts Chat About Mecole Hardman

Users on X, formerly Twitter, chatted about Hardman after the 2024 Super Bowl.

“Mecole Hardman didn’t know it when they drafted him but he was about to have himself a wild, wonderful, winding road as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs,” one user wrote.

“Mecole Hardman had as many receptions on the last play of the Super Bowl as he did in his New York Jets career,” Kevin Clark of the “This is Football” podcast wrote.

“Shout out to Mecole Hardman for joining Matt Snell as the only players to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and play for the Jets in the same season,” Football Perspective wrote.