Another NFL cutdown day, another former Georgia Bulldog looking for work.

The Buffalo Bills have released wide receiver and returner Mecole Hardman as the Bills trimmed their roster toward the 53-man deadline.

For Dawg Nation, the news is familiar: a speedster from Northeast Georgia who once lit up Sanford Stadium is again a free agent after a short, unsettled stop in Western New York.

Hardman, 28, is from Bowman and starred at Elbert County High before Kirby Smart made him a priority. He arrived in Athens as a defensive back, then flipped to receiver and became one of the most dangerous all-purpose weapons of the late Kirby rebuild.

In 40 games from 2016–18 he caught 59 passes for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns, added two rushing scores, and led the country in punt-return yards as a junior. The snapshot Georgia fans still replay is the 2018 College Football Playoff title game against Alabama:

Hardman scored both of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns — a short rush and an 80-yard catch from Jake Fromm. He left after his junior year and went to Kansas City in the second round.

That draft choice paid off in rings. Hardman won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the Chiefs and wrote himself into league history in the last of those, catching Patrick Mahomes’ 3-yard overtime winner against San Francisco.

A 2019 Pro Bowl returner, he never became a full-time featured receiver, but the Georgia kid who once took the top off SEC coverages still had the juice for one of the biggest plays in Super Bowl history.

Buffalo was a late chapter. Hardman signed to the Bills’ practice squad in November 2025 after a brief Packers stint, appeared in a handful of games, flashed a 61-yard kickoff return, lost a fumble, missed time with a calf injury, and later caught a playoff touchdown in Buffalo’s loss to Denver.

He signed a reserve/futures deal in January. In camp he was buried on a receiver depth chart that now includes DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, and rookie Skyler Bell. Running back Ray Davis also took more return work. The roster math did not leave a 53-man spot.

That is the unsentimental NFL. For Georgia fans, Hardman remains the Elbert County product who scored in a national title game and later walked off a Super Bowl.

He does not have to clear waivers and could land on a practice squad — Buffalo’s included — or draw interest from a team that still wants veteran speed and return experience.

Three rings and an overtime Super Bowl catch travel. The next call, whenever it comes, will still be about a former Bulldog who made big plays when the lights were brightest.