Mecole Hardman returns! What does that mean for the Chiefs' Wide Receiver room?

Mecole Hardman has known only six games away from the team that drafted. That count will pause for at least the remainder of the 2023 season as the Jets have traded him back to Kansas City — the only place he knew as his NFL home before signing with New York in free agency this offseason.

The Jets struggled to find a role for Hardman while they went through a massive overhaul of their wide receiver room to both entice and accommodate Aaron Rodgers’ needs in both their courtship and in his eventual arrival.

Hardman’s had only one catch in two appearances for the Jets, and now he’s moving back to familiar territory. Why’d they bring him back, and what will his role be in 2023? Here’s a look.