Who Should I Start? Mecole Hardman or Hunter Renfrow

Tuesday, March 18, 9:06 PM

Free-agent wide receiver/return specialist Mecole Hardman (knee) is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hardman will take his speed to the Packers while contributing both on offense and special teams as a kick returner. The 27-year-old former second-rounder (56th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 out of the University of Georgia caught only 12 of 14 targets for 90 yards and no touchdowns while carrying the ball five times for 62 yards and a touchdown in 12 regular-season games before suffering a knee injury in December that landed him on Injured Reserve. The Packers could use the receiver depth with Christian Watson (knee) likely to miss around half of the 2025 season, but Hardman could struggle for consistent involvement in Green Bay's offense, much like he did in KC, behind Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.

Friday, May 2, 12:30 PM

New Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow didn't play at all in 2024 after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders while being treated for ulcerative colitis, which caused him to drop from 185 pounds to 150 pounds. Renfrow had a stretch of seven straight days with a fever of 103 degrees, and the 29-year-old wondered if he'd ever play football again after disappointing seasons in both 2022 and 2023. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 by catching a career-high 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns but took a month off after the Pro Bowl because he felt "kind of tired." Renfrow signed a two-year, $32 million deal the next offseason, right before he started feeling really bad. The good news is he's back up to 185 pounds and will try to provide receiving depth in Carolina behind Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen and rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan in 2025.