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The New York Jets appear to believe that former wide receiver Mecole Hardman leaked the team's game plan to an opponents prior to being traded back to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jets cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner had previously wrote, "We ain't gon talk about how our offensive gameplan got leaked vs. the Eagles," in a since-deleted post on his X account. SNY's Connor Hughes later reported that he was "told there was validated belief from the #Jets that WR Mecole Hardman, frustrated by his lack-of usage, leaked game plans to the opposition, as implied by several players" in a post shared on his X account Wednesday (February 28). "Not just the #Eagles game, but also the #Chiefs. Ironically, the Eagles victory was arguably the best of the season for the Jets while Zach Wilson enjoyed the best game of his career against the Chiefs."
The Jets still managed to defeat the Eagles during one of their seven wins of the 2023 season, but lost to the eventual repeated Super Bowl champion Chiefs, 23-20, on October 1. Hardman, 25, was traded back to Kansas City 17 days later. The former University of Georgia standout signed with the Jets as a free agent last offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Chiefs.
Hardman recorded 14 receptions for 118 yards in two starts and six regular season appearances for Kansas City and was a crucial playoff contributor, catching the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the Chiefs' 25-22 overtime win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII earlier this month.