The Kansas City Chiefs still have numerous free agents available on the open market. One of those guys is wide receiver/returner Mecole Hardman, a former second-round pick who has spent portions of his five NFL seasons with Kansas City.
Hardman has played on each of Andy Reid’s Super Bowl teams to some extent, and he has three rings to prove it. In fact, with the exception of a brief spell with the New York Jets to start the 2023 season, the 26-year-old playmaker has never played for another team since joining the league in 2019. He has participated in 77 games with Kansas City, including the playoffs.
Having said that, Arrowhead Pride analyst Mark Gunnels predicts Hardman’s five-year Chiefs contribution streak to expire in 2024.
“With the Hollywood Brown addition, I would be surprised if the Chiefs brought Hardman back,” Gunnels wrote openly on March 26 in his weekly piece, “Let’s Argue.” stated: “It’s just hard to see a role for him at this point.”
Gunnels expressed this perspective after a fan suggested that Kansas City re-sign Hardman and veteran left tackle Donovan Smith.
“Hollywood will provide that deep ball threat this team has missed since trading away Tyreek Hill,” Gunnels went on to say. “As mentioned above, it’s also likely the Chiefs use one of their first two picks at receiver.”
Chiefs wide receivers Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney are blocking Mecole Hardman’s path to a reunion.
The Brown signing makes Hardman somewhat redundant, as Gunnels mentioned, but only because the Chiefs also have Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney on the roster. Given the upside and contract, the Arrowhead Pride writer feels Moore and Toney are more likely to remain around than Hardman.
“As much as fans want Skyy Moore gone, it’s very unlikely the Chiefs will give up on their second-round pick after two seasons,” Gunnels said. He also said it’s “unlikely” that KC will replace Toney with Hardman.
If the Chiefs can find a trade partner this offseason, they may be able to reduce Toney’s $2.53 million salary cost. If not, releasing him would cost them the same (about $2.53 million).
Barring any form of releasable violation, it appears like Moore and Toney will have one last chance with KC in 2024. Regarding Smith, Gunnels stated that he “wouldn’t be opposed to bringing [the LT] back on a team-friendly one-year deal to compete with Wanya Morris.”
Could the Chiefs bring back former first-round RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire?
For the previous year or two, it appeared like 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire would eventually leave Kansas City after losing his starting spot to current running back Isiah Pacheco. Gunnels anticipated his exit back on February 24.
Although a CEH exit is still possible, the 2024 free agent does not appear to be as likely to sign elsewhere as he previously was. After all, the Chiefs still need a backup running back, and Edwards-Helaire does not appear to have much of a market in the league.
“I’d be fine with CEH coming back,” one KC supporter stated in the March 26 piece.
Gunnels said, “At this point, why not? The running back market has dried up. Is there anyone out there that you can firmly claim would be a better match for RB2?
He went on to say that “even if you think someone is better, the small gap is made up because Edwards-Helaire is most likely younger, and he has familiarity with the system.”
Veteran running back Jerick McKinnon is in a same situation as CEH, and it would not be surprising if one of the two free agents, or both, returned to fill in behind Pacheco for one more shot at the Super Bowl.
