Wide receiver Mecole Hardman has hit the end of the road in his stint with the Green Bay Packers. The veteran wideout is reportedly not making Green Bay's final roster cut, as he is set to be released by the team, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Hardman has six years of experience in the NFL, playing five-plus seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest with the New York Jets. The Packers have a lot of intriguing talents in their wide receiving room, including the much hyped rookie in the form of former Texas Longhorns star Matthew Golden.
Hardman could have provided experience in the 2025 campaign with the Packers, but he seemingly just didn't impress the Packers enough to accommodate him on the main roster. He didn't help his case when he had a pair of blunders in Green Bay's Week 1 preseason game versus the New York Jets.
Hardman, who won three Super Bowl titles with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, made a poor decision to play the punt inside the 1o-yard line in the second quarter, resulting in a difficult field position for the Packers. In his next punt return, Hardman gave the ball away on a fumble.
“The disappointing thing,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said at the time, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “was the place that he was inside the 10, in practice he’s done a really good job with it.
“He’s helped our young guys about making a fake away from the catch, or being in a position to block, or letting it go into the end zone. So I’m hoping he was just trying to make too big of a play too early, but really the best decision would’ve been just make the play that’s there. Make the fair catch on one or let it go, and stay away from the one on the ground.”
The Packers signed Hardman to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million in March that comes with $150,000 in guaranteed money. His release from Green Bay will cost the Packers $150,000 in dead money.
Selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Chiefs, Hardman has 2,302 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns through 80 games.
