Jets reportedly believe Mecole Hardman leaked game plans vs. Eagles, Chiefs

Mecole Hardman’s short-lived New York Jets tenure is back in the spotlight after the wide receiver ripped his former team during a recent podcast appearance, going as far as even claiming that he told members of the Kansas City Chiefs squad he began his career with — including quarterback Patrick Mahomes and general manager Brett Veach — to “come get me.”

Hardman backtracked Wednesday after his comments were transcribed and posted on social media, saying he didn’t talk to the Chiefs until they reacquired him via a midseason trade last October. Any potential trade conversation between Hardman and K.C.’s coaches or executives, including Veach, could be considered a violation of the NFL’s anti-tampering rules.

But Hardman was accused of even more illicit activity amid the fallout of his comments this week. As Hardman engaged in some social media back-and-forth with Jets punter Thomas Morstead, who called Hardman a “disgruntled former employee” that “got beat out by a rookie free agent,” star cornerback Sauce Gardner went a step further, posting a message that read, “We ain’t gon talk about how our offensive gameplan got leaked vs. the Eagles tho” with a sad emoji.

Backup tight end Kenny Yeboah also posted a message saying Hardman “ain’t talk about his own work ethic and how the Georgia eagles got our game plan,” seemingly referring to the fact that several key members of the Eagles defense played college football at Georgia, where Hardman also played.

Both Gardner and Yeboah both soon deleted their accusatory messages, but continued taking swipes at Hardman in other social media posts Wednesday, including Gardner responding “lol” to a 2013 Hardman tweet about snitching that Hardman then deleted. SNY reported Thursday morning that members of the Jets organization do in fact suspect that Hardman leaked elements of their game plans before their Week 4 game against the Chiefs and Week 6 game against the Eagles. The Jets are also reportedly expected to pursue formal tampering charges against the Chiefs after Hardman’s comments.

By the time of the Week 4 Chiefs-Jets game in question, Hardman was losing snaps to Jets Week 1 overtime hero Xavier Gipson — likely the “rookie free agent” Morstead referenced — and 33-year-old veteran Randall Cobb. He had just one catch for six yards with the Jets before being traded back to the Chiefs just weeks into a one-year, $4 million contract (with $3.58 million guaranteed) he signed with New York in the offseason.

During Thursday’s edition of “Undisputed,” co-host Keyshawn Johnson said that accusations of leaking game plans are not uncommon, especially when the supposed recipients are former teammates or college friends of the alleged leaker, as is the case with the Chiefs and Eagles in relation to Hardman.

But as Johnson pointed out, the Jets’ early-season contests against the previous season’s two Super Bowl teams were actually two of the best games of New York’s entire season, which was thrown into chaos when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles in his Week 1 Jets debut.

The Jets narrowly lost to the Chiefs 23-20 despite an impressive performance from backup quarterback Zach Wilson, pressed back into starting duty after Rodgers’ injury, and then upset the Eagles behind a strong defensive performance in Week 6, which would become the only blemish in Philadelphia’s 10-1 start to 2023 before their late-season collapse.

Johnson said while there may be some truth to the belief among Hardman’s ex-teammates that the wide receiver was disgruntled, he does not believe the leaking allegations. Johnson claimed that even if Hardman did leak the Jets’ game plans, it likely did not have as much of an impact as fans might think.

“You’ve probably got 50 given plays in a game plan,” Johnson, a former Jets wide receiver and three-time NFL Pro Bowler, explained. “Out of the 50 plays, there may be 10 new plays that [are] designed differently than you had in training camp. The other 40 are the same plays. They got the film for that. When you line up in a certain formation, they know you run the toss sweep, they know you’re running ‘Power O.’ They know that this guy, if he’s lined up on the outside edge of the numbers on third down, they’re probably running the slant. They notice stuff. So it’s not like a game plan is going to change the outcome of a football game. That’s just paranoia by coaches.”

However, Johnson is sympathetic to the sense of betrayal Jets players would feel if they believed Hardman had leaked those game plans.

“If he did in fact do this, I don’t want him in a locker room,” Johnson said. “I can’t trust you. If I’m the Kansas City Chiefs and I’m [head coach Andy Reid] and this is the fact, how can I trust you? As I don’t give you the ball. You’re gonna go give our game plan away.”

Hardman would end up becoming an unlikely Super Bowl hero for Kansas City after his return there, catching the game-winning touchdown in the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers. While the Chiefs are reportedly open to bringing Hardman back in free agency, it remains to be seen how these issues with the Jets could complicate those plans.

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