Having signed with the Jets this week, Mecole Hardman will presumably be playing with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback in 2023.
But he told reporters on Thursday that Rodgers’ presence at QB wasn’t the only reason he wanted to join the AFC East club.
“I think the Jets were a good situation,” Hardman said, via SNY. “I think that they’ve got a great foundation here, they’ve got some nice pieces. I think Allen Lazard, him signing — I think playing alongside him will be great, too. And they’ve got a great second-year player now in Garrett Wilson who had an absolutely unbelievable year. So just guys with those names, just to play alongside them definitely is attractive.
“And obviously the news with A-Rod and everything like that, we still don’t know what’s going on with that. But obviously, that’s something you can think about. But as far as besides that, it was more so thinking the Jets [themselves] were the right fit for me.”
Hardman also noted that he hopes to be fully healthy for OTAs after undergoing core muscle surgery a month ago. He missed nine regular-season games last year due to injury, finishing with 25 catches for 297 yards with four touchdowns.
Before that, Hardman had not missed a game in his first three seasons.
In 57 games with 26 starts, Hardman has 151 receptions for 2,088 yards with 16 touchdowns. He’s also taken 20 carries for 125 yards with two TDs.