Thomas Morstead Goes At Mecole Hardman After Chiefs Wideout Dissed Jets Culture

New York Jets punter Thomas Morstead issued a strong response in defense of his team's performance last season after Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman trashed the organization as ‘dysfunctional.’

Sure, Hardman disappointed in his shortened stint with the Jets last year, catching just one pass in five games before being traded back to Kansas City. Still, the 25-year-old blamed dysfunction at the coaching level with the Jets as a root cause for their inept 2023 campaign (7-10). 

CANTON, OHIO - AUGUST 03: Thomas Morstead #5 of the New York Jets looks on during the first half of the 2023 Pro Hall of Fame Game against the Cleveland Browns at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on August 03, 2023 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Mecole Hardman Jr. #12 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after catching the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Hardman said he was desperate to get out of New York, even reaching out to Chiefs GM Brett Veach and quarterback Patrick Mahomes to help rescue him from the Jets.

Morstead didn't shy away from blaming Hardman for his blown opportunity in New York after hearing his comments. The Jets punter took the gloves off and dug into his ex-teammate.

"Be careful getting information from disgruntled former employees. Getting beat out by a rookie free agent after being guaranteed millions of dollars is tough to deal with. Entitlement is a killer of opportunity. You have to earn it every year."

Hardman originally shared, via The Pivot podcast: "But the offense is just like, 'We’ll just figure it out. It’s Aaron [Rodgers’] show. Let Aaron do what Aaron does.’ Then, when Aaron goes down, it’s like we don’t know what to do," he said.

READ: Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman Grills Jets After Short Stint: 'Mahomes, Get Me Out!'

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner also chimed in to throw dirt on the bitter Hardman. 

In a now-deleted post on X, Gardner suggested Hardman leaked the team's game plans to the Philadelphia Eagles in Mecole's final game for New York.

"We ain’t gon talk about how our offensive gameplan got leaked vs. the Eagles tho," Gardner posted.

Morstead and Gardner can champion their culture all they want; at the end of the day, most players would prefer being in Hardman's shoes as a three-time Super Bowl winner.

Follow along on X:@AlejandroAveela