It seemed inevitable.
When you sign a veteran on a one-year deal and then watch as he gets upstaged by an undrafted free agent, it’s going to be a short stay,
And that’s what happened to Mecole Hardman this week.
Hardman, signed by the Jets this offseason on what essentially amounted to a 1-year deal, was traded today back to the receiver-hungry Chiefs.
The Jets will receive a sixth round pick from Kansas City in exchange for a 2025 seventh round pick.
But more importantly, the Jets will be receiving nearly $2 million in cap space, per Over-the-Cap.
Hardman hadn’t been much of a factor on the Jets’ checkbook, as-is, having been a healthy scratch earlier this month.
The Jets had approximately $5.8 million in space in 2023, which puts the added cap room in perspective.
They may need it.
Given the Jets’ issues keeping offensive linemen healthy, it’s possible the team may look to add a veteran at the position during the bye week. At tackle, La’el Collins is still available but with it looking like promising guard Joe Tippmann may be out an extended period (per ESPN’s Rich Cimini), the Jets are woefully thin in the offensive interior.
The coming days may show how the Jets plan to address that.
The team’s next game is Oct 29 vs. the New York Giants.
