Teams have reportedly shown ‘recent interest’ in Patriots wideout N’Keal Harry

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N’Keal Harry has been the subject of trade rumors going all the way back to last summer, when his agent publicly demanded the New England Patriots trade the wide receiver. No move ever materialized, however, and Harry remained with the club throughout the 2021 season.

Now, the former first-round draft pick is reportedly drawing attention again. According to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, teams have expressed “recent interest” in Harry and that he is “a name to keep an eye on as a potential trade candidate before the draft.”

The 32nd overall selection in the NFL’s 2019 draft, the Arizona State product struggled during this three seasons as a Patriot. Appearing in 35 games, he caught only 59 combined passes for 619 yards and four touchdowns. Harry also carried the football eight times for 56 yards, never elevating himself into a starting role within the New England offense.

In 2021, he actually saw more action as a blocker in the running game rather than a pass catcher. Harry was asked to block on 53 percent of his offensive snaps, finishing with a mere 12 catches for 184 yards.

The 24-year-old ended his third season in the league as New England’s number four at the wide receiver position. Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor were higher up on the depth chart, as was Jakobi Meyers, who entered the NFL the same offseason as him albeit as a rookie free agent.

Harry enters the 2022 season — the final one on his rookie contract — with a salary cap number of $3.2 million. Moving on from him via trade would create net cap savings of $1.2 million for the Patriots. The team would also take on roughly $1.3 million in dead money.