GM - Mecole Hardman's 'come get me' comments 'resonated' with Jets - ESPN

Super Bowl standout Mecole Hardman admitted on a podcast that he was so disgruntled with the New York Jets last season that he begged the Kansas City Chiefs to «come get me» — a remark that isn't sitting well with Jets brass.

«I'll just say those comments definitely resonated with us,» general manager Joe Douglas told reporters Wednesday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.

It's unclear if the Jets will pursue tampering charges against the Chiefs. An NFL spokesperson, in an email to ESPN, declined to comment on whether the Jets have asked the league to check into the matter.

In a wide-ranging interview on «The Pivot,» hosted by Ryan Clark, Hardman was critical of the Jets' culture and detailed his issues with the team. He said he was so frustrated by his lack of playing time that by Week 4, a home game against the Chiefs, «I'm telling you right now, I was so checked out, like, it was over with. I had already talked to [Chiefs GM Brett] Veach and Pat [Mahomes], like, 'Come get me.'»

Two weeks later, he was traded back to the Chiefs. He wound up catching the winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl LVIII.

According to NFL rules, teams aren't permitted to have contact with another team's players or coaches. That's considered tampering and could result in the loss of draft picks.

Hardman, a second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2019, played with them through 2022, winning two Super Bowls. He left as a free agent in 2023, signing a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Jets. He was expected to contribute as the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver, but he barely got on the field (one catch in five games) and he lost his punt returning job to rookie Xavier Gipson.

By Tuesday night, Hardman's comments from the podcast had gained traction on