'Enough!' New York Jets' Veteran Supports Robert Saleh Amid Mecole Hardman Drama

New York Jets punter Thomas Morstead is back for 2024, something he attributes to special teams coach Brant Boyer. How did he repay his coach?

Dec 3, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh greets punter / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

A month into the new league year, the New York Jets’ offseason is shaping up to be a good one. Surprising free-agent signings and a shrewd trade for right tackle Morgan Moses precede a top-10 draft pick and expectations of a deep playoff run.

However, the catastrophe that was the 2023 season had some lingering effects. After former receiver Mecole Hardman enjoyed his Super Bowl parade – having been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in the middle of the season – controversy brewed. Hardman’s departure wasn’t a happy one, and after Hardman blamed the team and its coaching staff for his shortcomings, some Jets took offense.

New York punter Thomas Morstead, revered as one of the most well-respected veterans in the sport, chimed in on social media with a “subtweet,” ripping Hardman without explicitly stating his name.

Dec 3, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh greets punter / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

“Be careful getting information from disgruntled former employees,” he posted. “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.”

Hardman lost his snaps to low-profile rookie Xavier Gipson, who is currently the team’s starting slot receiver. In his short stint with the Jets, Hardman saw just one reception for six yards. He didn’t see snaps on special teams, either.

On “GoJo and Golic,” Morstead elaborated on his post and his feelings regarding both Hardman and special teams coach Brant Boyer.

“I guess I’ll take the assumption out for people, [Hardman was] exactly what I was referencing,” Morstead said. “I just saw what he had to say about Coach Boyer and I knew what had happened. Coach is a big boy, he can stick up for himself. I just thought it was b*******. I just thought someone should say something. 

“He’s probably one of the reasons I’m still playing and why I came back. And when you have a relationship like that, you see somebody turning the other cheek. I just felt like I needed to speak up and say something, and I didn’t want to take any shots at him. I just was enough, and I didn’t want to stand for it. And that’s all I’ll say about it.”

New York ranked fifth in special teams defense-adjusted value over average, in large part thanks to Morstead, the team’s best punter in recent memory. The unit did so without the help of Hardman, whose third Super Bowl championship may be the last laugh anyway.

Morstead decided to return to the Jets after a short step into free agency, signing a two-year deal worth $5.1 million. Hardman, meanwhile, remains unsigned – something allegations of leaking gameplans certainly don’t help.