Raiders work out former Chiefs Super Bowl-winning pass catcher as wide receiver room remains in flux

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers doubled down on his trade request this week, and there's no getting around the fact that he is a legitimate candidate to be moved prior to the Nov. 4 trade deadline. The Raiders hope to beef up their wide receivers room, as they worked out former Kansas City Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman on Tuesday, per the league's transaction wire. 

Hardman played the preseason with the Green Bay Packers after he spent 2024 with the Chiefs. In 12 games played last year, he caught 12 passes for 90 yards, and rushed five times for 62 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 20 punts for 203 yards and five kicks for 132 yards.

Hardman was a second-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Georgia, and he caught a career-high six touchdowns in his first NFL season to go along with 538 yards receiving. His best season as a receiver came in 2021, when Hardman caught 59 passes for 693 yards and two touchdowns.

Hardman is a three-time Super Bowl champion, including Super Bowl LVIII, where he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. It capped a dramatic 2023 season for Hardman, as he began the year with the New York Jets, before the Chiefs traded back for him just six games into the season. 

Regarding the Raiders, Tre Tucker is Geno Smith's leading receiver this year, having caught 29 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Vegas spent two draft picks on Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech, but the rookies have combined for just 12 receptions, 167 yards and zero touchdowns. 

The Raiders' passing attack ranks fourth-worst in the NFL with 182.7 passing yards per game. This offense is coming off a humiliating, 31-0 defeat to the Chiefs, in which Pete Carroll's offense ran just 30 plays and picked up 95 total yards.