Report: Teams Calling Patriots For N'Keal Harry Trade
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- After being drafted in the first round out of Arizona State, N'Keal Harry has had a disappointing first two years in the NFL. That, though, apparently isn't stopping teams from coveting his services.
That's at least according to one report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, who said that multiple teams have reached out to the Patriots about acquiring Harry via trade.
From NFL Now on @nflnetwork on #Patriots WR N'Keal Harry being a potential trade target for teams as we work through free agency and the Draft. pic.twitter.com/BziqXFj83y
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 10, 2021
"N'Keal Harry, an interesting name that keeps popping up when you start to talk to people around the league," Garafolo said. "My understanding is that teams have been calling the Patriots to see if maybe they'd be willing to part with Harry, the last pick in the first round two years ago. Has not gotten off to the start that both sides envisioned in New England, so teams are checking in there, because he is that big-body type of receiver. So maybe some untapped talent that teams feel like, 'Maybe if he comes and joins us, we'll be able to tap into that.' So an interesting guy to watch here as we get into the start of the league year and maybe a little bit further, as we get closer to the draft. Because there's going to be a lot of moving parts in New England. There's always a lot of moving parts in New England. But particularly this year, so we'll see if Harry maybe lands somewhere else via trade in the coming weeks and months really."
That report is ... moderately difficult to believe.
While it's possible that teams might look at the 23-year-old's size and thus inquire if he might be available for a song, the framing of that particular tweet makes it seem as if Harry is some sort of hot commodity.
Harry caught 33 passes for just 309 yards with three touchdowns in 14 games last year. As a rookie with Tom Brady in 2019, he caught 12 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven games. He also has seven career rushes for 49 yards.
Former Packers VP Andrew Brandt had one front-office translation for that report:
Translation: Patriots hoping teams reach out to them about a possible trade for WR N'Keal Henry. https://t.co/XvTrjS26qS
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 10, 2021
The Patriots broke with tradition when they used a first-round pick on Harry, the first time Belichick had ever spent a first-round pick on a wide receiver. It hasn't worked out thus far, and it's possible that the team would consider taking what's potentially available via trade instead of releasing Harry at the end of training camp.
It's just ... unlikely that the Patriots would be able to recoup much of anything in such a scenario. It's not that Harry's entire career is hopeless and over, but he's done nothing in his two seasons to warrant any team offering much of anything of value if the receiver is indeed on the trade block.