Justin Hardee Sr. (born February 7, 1994) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

and

special teamer In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...

and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in 2017. Hardee has also played for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

and the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

College career

Hardee committed to Illinois as a three-star prospect out of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

where he racked up a total of 841 yards receiving throughout his entire career.

Statistics

Professional career

Houston Texans

Hardee was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2017. He was waived on September 2.

New Orleans Saints

On September 7, 2017, Hardee was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. He was promoted to the active roster on September 23. In Week 9 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Hardee blocked a punt by

Bryan Anger Bryan Corey Anger (born October 6, 1988) is an American professional American football, football Punter (football), punter for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears f ...

and returned it for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

in a 30–10 win. He was recognized as the

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...

Special Teams Player of the Week for his accomplishment. Hardee finished the season making 10 combined

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

in 14 regular-season games and 2 post-season games.

2018

In Week 4 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, in the first quarter on a fourth down, quarterback

Taysom Hill Taysom Shawn Hill (born August 23, 1990) is an American professional football utility player for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Hill is officially designated as a tight end, but was previously officially listed as a ...

threw a 10 yard pass to Hardee, where he made his first NFL career

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

. This gave his team a first down in a drive ending in a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

, in a Saints win. In Week 5, against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, Hardee caught his first NFL career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

, a short pass thrown by quarterback

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American ho ...

that was returned for 77 yards. This play ended at Washington's 4-yard line, setting up a quick drive for a Saints touchdown. He also made 2

pass deflections In American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, f ...

in the Saints' 43-19 win. He finished the season playing in all 16 regular-season games and 2 post-season games, making 20 combined tackles, 1 reception, 2 passes deflected and 1 interception.

2019

Hardee played in all 16 regular-season games and the Saints' single postseason game, making a combined 11 tackles.

2020

On March 23, 2020, Hardee re-signed with the Saints. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on November 6 with a groin injury. He was activated on December 12. He finished the season participating in 10 regular-season games and 2 post-season games, making 8 combined tackles.

New York Jets

2021

Hardee signed a three-year, $5.25 million contract with the

on March 18, 2021. He played in 16 regular-season games, making 12 combined tackles.

2022

In Week 4, against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, Hardee forced a fumble on

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

Gunner Olszewski in a Steelers' punt return at the start of the third quarter, which was recovered by

James Pierre James Pierre Jr. (born September 16, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls and signed with the Steelers ...

. The Jets went on to win that game 24–20. He finished the season with 14 combined tackles and 1 forced fumble within 17 regular-season games. Hardee was awarded his first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

and NFLPA

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

selections for the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

position after his performance during the 2022 season.

2023

On October 14, 2023, Hardee was placed on injured reserve with a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. He was activated on December 2. Hardee played 11 games during the 2023 season, making five total tackles on special teams.

Cleveland Browns

On April 2, 2024, Hardee signed with the

. He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 10.

Carolina Panthers

On September 24, 2024, Hardee signed with the

practice squad. He was released on October 4.

Tennessee Titans

On October 29, 2024, Hardee was signed to the

' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 2. He played nine games with the Titans, making three tackles on special teams. On April 1, 2025, Hardee re-signed with the Titans on a one-year contract. He was released on April 18.

References

External links

Illinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardee, Justin 1994 births Living people Players of American football from Cleveland American football cornerbacks Glenville High School alumni Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Illinois Fighting Illini football players New Orleans Saints players New York Jets players Cleveland Browns players Carolina Panthers players Tennessee Titans players American Conference Pro Bowl players