Mecole Hardman Explains Desire for Expanded Role in 2023
The Kansas City Chiefs have three wide receivers set to hit the open market this offseason, and all three bring something different to the table.
At the top, JuJu Smith-Schuster is a mostly reliable short and intermediate area threat and someone who can use his size to gain yards after the catch. Towards the bottom, Justin Watson is a possible special teams ace and someone who played a career-high in snaps this past season. In the middle, Mecole Hardman is one of the fastest receivers set to hit the open market and will be looking to turn that quickness into a sizable payday.
Of the three, Hardman is making it clear that he seeks an expanded role as he gets ready for his fifth season in the league.
Appearing on The Schultz Report with Jordan Schultz of theScore, Hardman detailed what he's looking for moving forward from an offense and also described what he thinks he brings to the table as his free agency opens up. The 25-year-old is coming off a season that saw him play in just eight regular-season games, scoring six touchdowns in those contests. Talking to Schultz, Hardman points to added responsibility and targets as things he wants as his career continues to unfold.
"Probably just more so just giving me more responsibility as a receiver. I mean, going forward in my career it's like, 'Listen, let's see if we can give you 10 targets and see what you can do with it.' I feel like in games in the past when I have had eight-plus targets, I think I've averaged over 90 yards every time I had eight-plus targets. So it's like, I know I can do some things when I get targets, you know what I'm saying? So maybe getting more of a role, I can get that consistently throughout a year and see what it leads to."
Of the 57 regular-season games Hardman has played in over the course of his career, he's logged eight or more targets in six of them. In those games, he's averaged a stat line of six receptions for 72 yards and half a touchdown. He has no such outings in the postseason, which is more of a testament to the Chiefs' weapons and game plans over the years than his specific ability as a player. The returns on Hardman's production when given a chance to fully show off his talents have been positive, albeit not what he claimed to Schultz.
Spotrac's calculated market value estimates that Hardman will be worth $10.3 million per year on the free agent market, giving him a four-year contract worth ~$41.56 million. Pro Football Focus' estimates check in with a three-year pact worth $7.5M per season, which would likely be closer to what the Chiefs would be comfortable giving him. Reports in recent days and weeks indicate that the team could be bracing to lose Hardman, however, so a return doesn't seem extremely likely pending a poor market.
Hardman spent just over half of his time in the slot for the Chiefs throughout his four years with the team (per PFF), also lining up out wide, in the backfield and being used in motion on numerous occasions. He thrives in a new-age, gadget-type role, but he appears to be looking for something more in 2023 and beyond. Regardless of whether that happens in Kansas City or elsewhere, Hardman doesn't believe he got a great chance to display a well-rounded game on his rookie deal and is seeking an opportunity to do so on contract No. 2. When asked what his favorite routes were, here's what he said:
"I think I can play outside or inside but from the slot, anything out-breaking where I can, you know, threaten down the field and break out of [the route]. Outside, more so just get somebody running and stopping. I think I never really got a chance to get those routes ran and seen on film a lot — just the nature of our offense and what we were running. But I kind of like those routes where someone's got to honor my speed, and I can stop with the best of them. I think that's kind of what I wanted to do but in that offense, everything's so fast so I never got a chance to do it like that."
