Getty N'Keal Harry
T
he New England Patriots don’t need to worry about N’Keal Harry anymore.
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NFL Network Reporters Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo was the first to report that Harry had been traded to the Chicago Bears.
At long last, the #Patriots trade former first-rounder N’Keal Harry and it’s the #Bears as his landing spot for a 2024 7th rounder, per me and @MikeGarafolo. A solid upside move for Chicago, while New England moves on with a strong group itself.
Harry was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft but never played up to that standard while in New England. During his three seasons with the Patriots, Harry only tallied 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns. This includes 12 receptions for 184 yards and zero touchdowns last season.
What Does This Mean for the Patriots?
While there is no doubt that the selection of Harry will go down as a failure, the fact that New England was able to get a measly seventh-round pick will be viewed as a win.
The Patriots were likely to move on from Harry anyway. If he wasn’t traded, there was a real possibility that he would have been cut before the start of the regular season.
New England’s wide receiver group will be just fine without Harry. The Patriots acquired DeVante Parker who will lead the way in the passing game for New England. Parker is now the only wide receiver on the roster to have ever eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season.
New England also has Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers returning to the roster. Bourne had a breakout season for the Pats racking up 55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns. Meyers continued to grow himself tallying 83 receptions for 866 yards and two touchdowns.
With Harry officially gone, Mac Jones and the rest of the offense will be able to focus on building chemistry with players who will still be in New England when the regular season comes around.
What Does This Mean for Harry?
Harry will have a chance to show what he is truly made of in Chicago. The Bears wide receiver room doesn’t exactly instill fear in opponents featuring the likes of Byron Pringle, and Equanimous St. Brown.
But the Bears do have Justin Fields who is a quality quarterback. While he struggled in his rookie season, throwing for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 12 games.
A fresh start could be exactly what Harry needs. It was clear that things weren’t going to work out in New England.
This is also a low-risk move for the Bears. Chicago is only sending away a 2024 seventh-round pick. If Harry ends up excelling, the Bears will look like geniuses and if he continues to struggle, they gave up virtually nothing for the wide receiver. There is even a real possibility that both teams end up feeling as if they won the trade with both sides improving.
But the trading away of Harry marks the end of an era in New England. The N’Keal Harry experiment can officially be declared a failure and the Patriots can move on and focus on the promising future of the team.