Bills' Mecole Hardman Jr. Responds to Suggestion He Should Be Cut to Clear NFL Salary Cap Space

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. responded to a suggestion that he should be a cap casualty by echoing 50 Cent's iconic reply to having his name randomly brought up.

After a Bills fan site listed various scenarios on X in which the team could clear cap space, including releasing Hardman, the veteran wideout responded in a quote post:

There has been a lot of chatter around Bills wide receivers since their season ended, though Hardman can at least take some comfort in not being thrown under the bus by the front office in the way that Keon Coleman was by team owner Terry Pegula.

Hardman spent most of the season as a free agent before signing with the Bills in November. He appeared in three games between the regular season and playoffs, with his biggest play being a 61-yard kickoff return in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A calf injury suffered in the Bucs game kept Hardman out for the next four weeks. He signed a reserve/future contract with Buffalo on Jan. 19, two days after the team's 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.

The deal only counts $1.1 million against Buffalo's 2026 cap, so it's not like Hardman's presence on the roster is prohibiting the front office from making major moves.

Hardman has also shown the ability to be a valuable special teams player throughout his NFL career. The 27-year-old has averaged 27.4 yards per kickoff return and 9.0 yards per punt return since entering the league in 2019.

The Bills finished 2025 ranked 28th in the league with 6.5 yards per punt return. Hardman can serve a function on the team if new head coach Joe Brady decides to keep him on the roster.