30 players who will avoid bust status with a breakout campaign in 2024

3. Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs

Imagine a player catching a championship-winning touchdown and just a few months later, his career is on the verge of being over. Mecole Hardman saw his name go through the mud over the past year. His time with the New York Jets might be the biggest failure in that franchise’s history, and that’s saying something. He got caught (allegedly) sharing pertinent information with other teams. 

After more and more details came out about his situation, it seemed like his career was over. Just like that, a player many thought would be a star could see himself looking for another career. This was less than a year after he signed a $6.5 million contract with the Jets. 

Hardman isn’t even guaranteed a spot on the Chiefs. He could be cut before the season even begins, making this all irrelevant. He’s really close to bust status, but there’s still a lot of question marks on this Chiefs offense. Skyy Moore seems like he has a spot locked down, but he can be replaced easily midseason. Kadarius Toney is in the same position as Hardman. Rashee Rice is still waiting to see the fallout of his awful offseason. Hollywood Brown is injured and could miss Week 1. There’s a real chance for a player to break out.

We learned in the Super Bowl that Patrick Mahomes still believes that Hardman can make a play when it matters. This offense did look better when he was traded back to the Chiefs, but he has to prove a lot more and do something special with this dynamic kickoff to avoid his bust status.