Mecole Hardman should see more opportunities this season with Tyreek Hill in Miami. If he takes advantage of them -- like Christian Kirk did last season -- the Chiefs receiver will get paid (by somebody) in 2023.
Hardman is well aware of what this season means for him, and he isn’t even pretending to ignore its importance. The more he does, the more he likely gets paid.
“Yeah, definitely want to have one of my best seasons for sure, especially in the contract year,” Hardman said Monday, via Matt Derrick of chiefsdigest.com. “That’s definitely a thought that goes through your head.”
Hardman, 24, is scheduled to make $3.911 million in base salary this season.
He had career highs in catches (59) and receiving yards (693) last season but career lows in average per catch (11.7) and touchdowns (2). Hardman, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, wants to be better than he was last season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid knows players are motivated by the potential of a big payday and expects Hardman to respond accordingly.
“I’d tell you in that situation, money talks, right,” Reid said. “They’re all in there going full speed. That’s what I’ve seen. I don’t have to talk about it, they know. These guys are well-educated, and they know what’s at stake. We’ve been fortunate that the guys have really been in attack mode when they get into those situations.”
