BIOGRAPHY
Justin Hardee was born February 7, 1994, in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a cornerback in the NFL.
Hardee committed to Illinois as a three-star prospect out of Cleveland, Ohio where he racked up a total of 841 yards receiving throughout his career. His first college touchdown came late against Western Kentucky in September of 2014. Hardee hauled in a 62-yard score to give the Illini a win. Hardee credits Bill Cubit, former offensive coordinator at Illinois, for helping him get through the death of his mother.
As a senior at Illinois, Hardee started all 12 games at wide receiver. He was second on the team with 314 receiving yards, third on the team with 25 receptions and had three receptions of 30+ yards. Hardee averaged 2.1 receptions and 26.2 yards per game, with career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (125) in the season finale at Northwestern.
On September 7, 2017, Hardee was signed to the New Orleans Saints' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 23, 2017. In Week 9, Hardee blocked a punt by Bryan Anger and returned it for a touchdown in a 30-10 win over the Buccaneers, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He stands at 6-foot-1, so Hardee has the size to make a lot of noise on special teams. Hardee is a confident, prideful player who loves making any impact. For him, special teams are just as important as offense or defense for other players, and he wants everyone to know that his aspirations are just as lofty as guys who play more.
Since being promoted to the active roster, Hardee has developed into a special teams ace for club appearing in 30 games and four postseason contests over the last two seasons, posting nine solo tackles, his first career interception with a 77-yard return, two passes defensed, a team-leading 19 special teams stops over that period and a blocked punt he recovered for a touchdown.
Hardee signed a three-year contract with the New York Jets on March 18, 2021.