Jets agree to sign CB, special teamer Justin Hardee to 3-year deal

The Jets have acquired a special teams ace in Justin Hardee, having signed the now-former New Orleans Saint to a multi-year deal.

The Jets and Justin Hardee have agreed to a contract ahead of the new league year.

According to Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football, it will be a three-year deal for Hardee. It’s unclear at this time what the financial details of the contract will entail.

Justin Hardee has agreed to a three-year deal with the Jets, per source.

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 16, 2021

Hardee can play cornerback but is primarily a special teams ace, having spent much of his time in that role while with the New Orleans Saints the last four years. He took part in over half of the Saints’ special teams snaps in 2017, 2018, and 2019 but played in only 10 games this past season.

Hardee was on the field for just 115 defensive snaps combined in the last three years, including one defensive rep in 2020.

Although he didn’t possess a concrete role on defense, Hardee proved to be a reliable gunner on New Orleans’ punt cover team. He finished the 2020 season with eight combined tackles, six of which were solo.

Meet your new favorite gunner pic.twitter.com/y6rvOrhsWk

— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) March 16, 2021

This will prove effective for a Jets special teams unit that allowed an average of 11.7 yards per punt return last season — this mark was 27th in the NFL.

The Jets were rather quiet on Tuesday but have experienced a productive free agency period up to this point. On Monday, the Joe Douglas-led front office agreed to three-year deals with wide receiver Corey Davis and defensive end Carl Lawson, both of whom are expected to add sheer talent to the roster.