The New York Jets signed wide receiver Mecole Hardman to a one-year, $4 million contract during the offseason to bolster the offensive attack. However, he has barely been on the field throughout the first five weeks of the regular season. According to Football Guys, Hardman has 22 total snaps and a new home could benefit both sides.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the contenders for a trade and discuss why each of these teams should be at least interested in adding the 25-year-old receiver.
Mecole Hardman Landing Spot #1: Kansas City Chiefs
This seems to be the perfect fit, doesn’t it? The former Kansas City Chiefs receiver returning back and giving Patrick Mahomes another weapon with tight end Travis Kelce dealing with lower body injuries and inept wide receivers so far. A team that needs a wide receiver and understands what they would be getting would be beneficial to them.
Hardman had at least 25 receptions in each of the four seasons before becoming a free agent. This would be a great fit and would likely only cost a sixth-round pick and get back a seventh-round draft pick back with Mecole Hardman.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have been an excellent team and are trying to get going on the offensive side of things. With Odell Beckham Jr. dealing with the injury bug and the team having one of the highest drop percentages from their wide receiver position.
Having a wide receiver core of Odell Beckham Jr., rookie Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman would be a great fit with Mecole Hardman’s skillset in order to get the offense going in a competitive AFC North race.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have said they need an elite wide receiver and while this trade would not be that, another strong receiver with a lot of speed could really help rookie quarterback Bryce Young continue to develop.
The Panthers have a lot of young players and the only downfall would be the draft compensation as they already traded away their first-round pick for this year’s draft in acquiring the first-overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The Jets and Panthers have been trade partners before with the Sam Darnold trade being the most recent move between the two.
The experience of having Adam Theilen and DJ Chark Jr. could stay a pivotal role in helping Mecole Hardman develop into an even better receiver. Playing with another offensive-minded head coach like Frank Reich could be a massive benefit for both him and the team. This could be an underrated perfect fit for both teams as well.