Jets lose special teams ace Justin Hardee to Browns with new kickoff rules looming
NY Post
The Jets will attempt the NFL’s new kickoffs without their best coverage specialist.
Justin Hardee, who was a 2022 Pro Bowl selection in the second of his three seasons with the Jets, signed a free-agent contract Tuesday with the Browns. The two-time captain is returning to his native Cleveland.
Hardee was among the league leaders over the last three seasons with 998 special teams snaps, excelling on punt and kickoff coverage to where he often drew double-team blocks.
He practices at cornerback, too, though he only logged one defensive snap during his Jets career.
The NFL adopted an XFL-style kickoff rule last week that is meant to increase the number of returns while still emphasizing player safety by minimizing running-start full-speed collisions.
Kickoff fair catches have been eliminated, and any ball that lands between the 20-yard line and the goal line must be returned unless it rolls into the end zone.
The Mets were active Christmas Eve, signing right-handed journeyman Mike Baumann to a minor league contract, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported.
For as talented a scorer he is, one Karl-Anthony Towns tendency is constantly ruining offensive possessions.
It was exactly 1 p.m. Christmas Eve, and the Giants were just beginning their first full practice of the week for their second-to-last game of this miserable losing season.
Brandon Aiyuk issued a mea culpa after a video he shared over the weekend landed him in some hot water.
All eyes are on Travis Kelce and a lingering decision about his football future.
WASHINGTON — It was a merry night for the Rangers in our nation’s capital.
Maxx Crosby isn’t thinking about Fernando Mendoza or whoever may be considered the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
MINNEAPOLIS — Julius Randle had been quiet, just 3-for-11 from the field.
The decision Doug Armstrong’s management group needs to make before the Canadian Olympic roster is announced on New Year’s Eve cannot be about letting Matthew Schaefer be around the group before he takes a leading role in the 2028 World Cup or 2030 Olympics.
The cold, unappetizing truth for Steve Cohen is that he has only one person to blame for the backlash presently aimed at his baseball team, and it isn’t David Stearns. Oh, Stearns makes for an easy target, a never-played-the-game Harvard man who is the perfect contrast to the rub-some-dirt-on-it tobacco chompers who ruled the game for a century.
PHILADELPHIA — A third of the way through the Nets’ season, the focus — and worry — is all about the tank.
Aaron Glenn’s wish is giving Jets fans a game they can remember in the home finale against the Patriots on Sunday.
Trent Williams’ Hall of Fame career won’t be ending anytime soon.