On his way to his third year in the NFL, N’Keal Harry’s agent has asked the New England Patriots to find a new home for him. Los Angeles-based attorney and NFL agent Jamal Tooson made the following statement regarding the former first-round pick’s trade request, first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo:
For the record, I covered N’Keal Harry, first as a high school standout and then as a star receiver at Arizona State University. While Patriots fans are understandably upset at the idea that anyone would ask to be removed from their storied franchise, the trade request actually makes sense. Bill Belichick’s post-Tom Brady offensive ranks last in TD passes, 31st. They return the same offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels and WR coach in Mick Lombardi, and in all likelihood Cam Newton will be the one this year Take majority of the snaps below the center as the draft pick for the first round of 2021 Mac Jones develops.
In his first two years in New England, N’Keal Harry struggled with injuries and struggled to find a consistent role on the Patriots offensive when he is on the field. As his agent alluded to in his public comments on the trade request, Harry wants to be used as a threat in the field. For many Patriots fans, they see a receiver struggling to disconnect from the scrimmage line and so it doesn’t seem intuitive to continue using it on shorter routes.
While Pats fans might be upset about Harry’s early production and the idea that he is moving in a trade for his third season if they don’t believe he will eventually meet their expectations, why not stand behind the idea? Are you trying to get compensation if you find a more pertinent crime?
On N’Keal Harry’s side, it makes sense to try to position yourself as a necessary offensive weapon on a team with a thriving (or at least average) offense. It’s getting harder and harder for N’Keal Harry to get a second contract for a team whose 2020 season wideouts are 28th overall goals and one of only three teams in the NFL without a single wide receiver on average are over six goals per game (Eagles, Raiders).
There is no question whether there is a market for N’Keal Harry. It remains to be seen how motivated Bill Belichick is to find a new home for Harry and seek adequate compensation in return. Assuming the Patriots move N’Keal Harry, here are five trade goals that make the most sense:
1. The Kansas City Chiefs
Any wideout would take the chance to play alongside Patrick Mahomes as well as on an Andy Reid offensive. What makes this a potentially great addition is that the Chiefs actually need a bigger receiver after losing free-hand Sammy Watkins to the Baltimore Ravens. You have Marcus Kemp, Jody Fortson, and Gehrig Dieter as development workers, so you know they have a desire to play a bigger wideout alongside the fast-paced but miniscule threats of Mecole Hardman and Tyreek Hill. N’Keal Harry could make an already unstoppable offensive even more dangerous, but than Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goodman pointed this out, the $ 1.4 million and $ 3.2 million cap hits over the next two years could be a hard pill to swallow unless they believe Harry will be successful.
2. The Los Angeles chargers
Justin Herbert likes big receivers and is not afraid to take risks in the field. While adding N’keal Harry in 2021 would likely be more of a game of depth with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen firmly anchored on the Chargers list as the top two recipients, one has to wonder if the Chargers are planning on taking the bank Blow up to keep them Williams and Allen have teamed up beyond 2021. The dynamic duo are set to make $ 31 million combined this season, and with Williams on the cusp of full free representation and Allen, an additional $ 66 million is due in 2022-2024. Harry could give the Chargers a chance to spend their money elsewhere in the 2022 off-season, while also giving him some of the milder weather in which he thrived as a stellar college student.
3. The Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer likes tall athletes with five-star pedigrees, and N’Keal Harry certainly has that for him. The Jaguars are putting their franchise in the hands of a rookie QB in Trevor Lawrence, and the best they can do for him is to surround him with as much talent as possible from the start. The Jaguars have the resources and cap space to make this happen without breaking a sweat, and the capital with the fans to mark any risk that doesn’t turn out in the initial stages as a well-intentioned experiment (for reference see Tim Tebow).
4. The Green Bay Packers
Could one man’s trade request be the cure for another? Aaron Rodgers’ high-profile battle with the Green Bay Front Office has dragged on for a lot longer than any Packers fan would like, but it looks like they’re ready to hold on to Rodgers no matter how difficult the future Hall of may be Fame that makes life of every single suit in this organization. Sure, adding a former first-round pick on the wide receiver isn’t going to cure all of the internal illnesses going on over there, but even if adding N’Keal doesn’t make Harry Aaron Rodgers crush his many beefs and give it a try ? Putting together another MVP season in 2021, Jordan Love will need more outside weapons anyway.
5. The Denver Broncos
Perhaps you look at the Denver Broncos that made it onto this list and ask yourself, “Why would N’Keal Harry go to a team that is equally troubled in the quarterback position?” Well, his class of 2016 5-star wideout Jerry Jeudy is a Denver Bronco, and one thing the Denver Broncos ensured was giving him myriad opportunities to succeed. Jeudy was second in goals for the rookies in 2020, despite being eighth in the receptions. With their growing pains, the Broncos at least made sure they got plenty of pictures. The other thing that I find appealing about this Broncos offensive is the way Vic Fangio uses 6-4, 212 WR Tim Patrick. After two unforgettable years in Denver, Patrick had 51 receptions and 6 touchdowns in 2021. This is exactly the kind of development and professional rehabilitation that N’Keal Harry needs.
