NFL Draft

Jets Trade WR Mecole Hardman Back to Chiefs, Swap Draft Picks

The explosive but rarely used pass-catcher is headed back to Kansas City.

Luke Easterling

Jets Trade WR Mecole Hardman Back to Chiefs, Swap Draft Picks
Jets Trade WR Mecole Hardman Back to Chiefs, Swap Draft Picks /
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The New York Jets are trading wide receiver Mecole Hardman back to the Kansas City Chiefs, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It's a late-round pick swap changing hands between the teams, as the Jets receive a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in return for Hardman and a seventh-round pick in 2025, per Schefter.

Hardman signed one-year deal with the Jets in free agency this offseason, but has rarely been used this season. Now, he returns to Kansas City, where he had previously proven to be a valuable asset to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, providing big plays thanks to his explosiveness.

For the Jets, it's an opportunity to move up in the late rounds of the 2025 draft in return for a player who clearly wasn't a part of their offensive plan this season or beyond, playing just 28 offensive snaps through the first six weeks of the year.

Hardman has just one reception so far this season, and the emergence of rookie undrafted free agency Xavier Gipson in the return game likely contributed to Hardman being expendable in New York.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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