NFL Trade Rumors: Patriots Receiver Wants Out Of New England For 2021 Season

New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry is ready to play elsewhere. The 23-year-old has requested a trade through his agent, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The Patriots selected Harry with the final pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Arizona State product hasn’t met expectations in two NFL seasons, catching 45 passes for 414 yards and four scores in 21 games.

Harry started nine games in the 2020 season. He totaled 33 receptions for just 309 yards, which ranked fifth on the team.

Following Julian Edelman’s retirement, Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor are listed as the top receivers on New England’s depth chart. Agholor signed with the Patriots as a free agent and was part of New England’s historic offseason spending spree.

Harry is looking to play for a team where he’ll get more of an opportunity, though he likely doesn’t have much trade value, given his lack of productivity.

Maybe part of Harry’s struggles can be explained by New England’s quarterback situation. As the Patriots starting quarterback last year, Cam Newton averaged the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL.

“We’ve got a new quarterback. We’ve got to put some of that (expletive) on Cam,” trainer Rischad Whitfield, who worked with Harry, told Patriots Wire in December. “Cam hasn’t been the most accurate this year. Like if (N’Keal) had Tom Brady, Tom Brady would’ve fed him. But we’re back there with Cam and Cam’s getting acclimated to the offense, too.”

Harry wasn’t any better when Tom Brady was his quarterback as a rookie. Brady had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2019. The legendary quarterback put up much better numbers in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, surrounded by an improved cast of playmakers.

Last season, the Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.