This one was the biggest in terms of exposure, as it was the most-watched telecast in history. The historic viewership was no doubt aided a bit by the presence of Taylor Swift, who attended the game to support boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ standout tight end. The pop megastar took a moment to congratulate Hardman after the game, as well.
“Taylor’s cool, man, she was just saying she was proud, congratulations, so just the regular-degular stuff,” he said. “But she’s a great person, happy to see her on the field, and just her being there saying congratulations was cool.”
Hardman ended his and the Chiefs’ season in joyous fashion. Whether the catch also ended his tenure with Kansas City (again) remains to be seen for the impending free agent.
“Well, yeah, that’d be the goal for sure, to come back, but we’ve got to see what happens when the negotiation starts and see what happens, see what (general manager Brett) Veach’s got planned for me,” he said.
Hardman had more than one big play in Super Bowl LVIII, as he also hauled in a 52-yard catch — the longest play of the game — and had three catches in total for 57 yards and a touchdown that will live on in history — whether he remembers it or not.
“Oh, it’s awesome, I’m glad to be part of history, so you can’t take away,” Hardman said. “I mean I’m trying to figure out what’s bigger than a walk-off in the Super Bowl, but I don’t know yet.”