Mecole Hardman lifts the lid on his Jets exit as Chiefs' Super Bowl hero accuses team officials of telling him 'lies'... before taking swipe at offensive setup: 'There's no standard there'

Kansas City Chiefs star Mecole Hardman has blasted the New York Jets for telling him 'lies' before his exit last year - while also criticizing his former team's offensive setup.

Hardman signed with the Jets in March of last year following the end of his first stint in Kansas City, before being traded back to the Chiefs in October after only catching one pass in five games in New York.

Just last week he stressed that he would not re-sign with them as a free agent this year, before opening up on how he really felt during his time at MetLife Stadium while making an appearance on The Pivot.

'It's the lies and the way they handled me. I didn't like it at all,' the Chiefs wide receiver, who scored the winning touchdown in their Super Bowl triumph this month, said when asked why things didn't work out for him with the Jets. 

Hardman went on to make it very it clear that he felt he was as good or better than every WR on the team, other than Garrett Wilson. 

Mecole Hardman has blasted the New York Jets for telling him 'lies' before his exit last year 

Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl this month 

The 25-year-old moved back to Kansas City in October after seven months in New York

The 25-year-old only played 28 snaps and had one reception during his short time with the Jets.

He then expanded on how he felt about the offense and the lack of any type of standard under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

'You just got a new [offensive] coaching staff that came in and there's no standard there. Everybody does what they want to do,' said Hardman.

'Granted, the defense has more of a stabilized standard with the coaching staff on that side, so the defense has a standard. But the offense is just like, 'We'll just figure it out. It's Aaron's show. Let Aaron do what Aaron does.' Then when Aaron goes down, it's like we don't know what to do.' 

Hardman also shed light on his strained relationship with Jets special team coordinator Brant Boyer, and why he refused to return punts during the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 25-year-old wide out said that Boyer had initially misled him about the punt-returning job during training camp and did not give him time to properly prepare for the role after Xavier Gipson had picked up an ankle injury only days before the game.

At the time Hardman himself had been dealing with a hyperextended pinky that made it more difficult for him to catch the ball in general. 

Hardman says his issues were with coordinators Nathaniel Hackett (left) and Brant Boyer (right)

After head coach Robert Saleh had attempted to convince Hardman to return punts anyway the wideout told him: 'I'm not catching for that man [Boyer].'

Hardman was eventually traded back to the Chiefs along with a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, after leaving Kansas City for New York on a one-year deal in free agency.

After returning to Kansas City, Hardman took on a much bigger role in the offense than he had with the Jets and recorded 14 catches for 118 yards.

More importantly he went on to record the game-winning touchdown for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers this year to finish off the season.

'I was so checked out, like, it was over with,' Hardman said. 'I had already talked to [general manager Brett] Veach and Pat [Mahomes], like, 'Come get me.' Only two weeks later Hardman was once again wearing a Chiefs jersey.