After an offseason in which the Patriots signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, the team made more changes in 2022 by trading for DeVante Parker and drafting Tyquan Thornton in the second round. This quartet and Jakobi Meyers, whom the team kept via second-round RFA tender, are in line to be Mac Jones‘ top receivers this season.

This means more uncertainty for N’Keal Harry, whose days with the Pats appear numbered. Last month, a report emerged the Patriots were considering moving the underwhelming ex-first-rounder to tight end. Now, the team might finally be considering cutting its losses.

The team waiving Harry of training camp should be viewed as in play, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, given the offset language included in the fourth-year pass catcher’s rookie deal. The Pats have dangled Harry in trades for multiple years. As several receiver standouts chosen after Harry in 2019 have thrived, some en route to big 2022 paydays and others on clear courses for lucrative deals down the road, the big-bodied Pats target has not found his footing.

New England would likely accept a late-round pick-swap trade, one that would send Harry and a Day 3 choice to another team for a Day 3 selection, to save $1.2MM against its 2022 cap, Volin adds. The Pats hold a league-low $1.9MM in cap space. The prospect of the Patriots excusing Harry from training camp while working on a trade, in order to keep the Arizona State product healthy, could also be considered. Harry missed extensive time due to injury in 2019 and ’21, hitting IR in each season.

Harry caught 12 passes for 184 yards last season. He is due a $1.87MM base salary in 2022. Although a combination of receiver-needy teams and Harry’s draft pedigree likely leads to another shot elsewhere, Harry trade rumors have churned since March 2021. However this chapter ends for the 225-pound wideout, the value of Bill Belichick‘s highest-drafted receiver as Patriots HC/de facto GM has tanked over the past three years.

Given the returning players at the receiver position in New England, along with newcomers DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton, much has been talked about regarding what future N’Keal Harry has on the team, if any. As noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, a position change could be in order for him to remain on the roster. 

[RELATED: Harry On His Way Out Of New England?]

An important return to the practice field is upcoming, as the team’s mandatory minicamp begins next week. That will mark Harry’s first work with the team since the end of the season, as he has been absent from the voluntary portion of offseason activities. During that time, his agent has reportedly been working on facilitating a trade out of New England.

The final first round pick of the 2019 draft, Harry hasn’t lived up to the expectations he has faced during his NFL tenure. His best season came in 2020, when he posted 33 receptions for 309 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Last year, though, after New England brought in Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor in free agency, he started just four contests and played less than half of the team’s offensive snaps. Despite his lackluster production, there were teams reported to be interested in trading for him.

Doing so would involve a degree of risk of course, but since the Patriots – as expected – declined Harry’s fifth-year option, an acquiring team would only be adding him for one season. Improving his statistical production during the upcoming campaign would be crucial for the 24-year-old heading into free agency. There could still be a path for him to make the Patriots out of training camp, though.

Reiss writes that converting from receiver to tight end might be the Arizona State alum’s “best chance” to catch on to the end of the roster. If he were able to do that, he would still find stiff competition for playing time in the form of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, to whom New England doled out lucrative contracts last offseason. Harry could find himself third on the depth chart, however, as 2020 third-rounders Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene have had similarly disappointing careers to date.

How Harry performs next week – and, perhaps more importantly, where he lines up in practice – will therefore be a key storyline to watch in New England.

The Patriots made a rare trade within their division over the weekend, adding DeVante Parker to their receiving corps. One of the potential effects of that move is the end of N’Keal Harry‘s tenure in New England, as noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. 

[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Parker To Patriots]

Reiss writes that the addition of Parker “likely means the end of the road for” Harry with the Patriots. The six-foot-three Parker profiles as a direct replacement for Harry, who has never translated his contested-catch ability from college to the NFL. In 33 games, the former first-rounder has totalled 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns.

Even without Parker being brought in, Harry found himself behind Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor on the depth chart. That led many to believe that the Patriots were likely to decline his fifth-year option later this spring, which would signal a departure sooner than later through free agency.

However, it was reported last month that the Arizona State alum was drawing trade interest. Teams looking to at least add depth to their WR room before the draft could find a spot for the 24-year-old, and with the Patriots having added Parker (and, quite possibly, looking to select another WR early in this month’s draft), he could likely be had for a reasonable trade price.

While nothing is imminent regarding Harry’s future (or lack thereof) in New England, he could very well find himself in a new NFL home relatively soon.

Despite an invisible stint in New England, wideout N’Keal Harry is still generating some interest around the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed (on Twitter), “teams have shown recent interest” in the former first-round pick, and the receiver is “a potential trade candidate before the draft.”

The 2019 first-round pick hasn’t clicked with any of New England’s three QBs (Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Mac Jones) during his three seasons in the league. In 33 games (18 starts), Harry has hauled in 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver has earned some high marks for his blocking, but he’d still be a bottom-of-the-depth-chart option for most teams.

New England will eventually have to make a decision on the receiver’s fifth-year option, but there’s little chance it’ll be picked up. Harry has a $3.2MM cap hit in 2022.

It sounds like N’Keal Harry avoided serious injury. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots wideout didn’t suffer any structural damage to his shoulder. The third-year player will just need rest is considered week-to-week.

Harry exited the Patriots’ preseason game on Thursday night after landing hard on his shoulder while diving for a catch. Harry didn’t return and was seen wearing a sling following the contest. The receiver has dealt with a number of injuries during his brief career, so this is a positive development for the 23-year-old.

Of course, it’s still uncertain if the 2019 first-round pick will be on the Patriots roster come Week 1. The Arizona State product surprised many when he requested a trade earlier this offseason, but Harry still attended training camp and has reportedly held talks with Bill Belichick and co. regarding the request. Considering Harry’s lack of production through two NFL seasons, the Patriots probably haven’t traded him thanks to underwhelming offers. We’ve heard teams like Washington were interested in Harry, but suitors were likely offering fifth- or sixth-round picks. The Patriots may just prefer to keep Harry around instead of dumping him for a late-round selection.

Harry has disappointed since being selected with the No. 32 pick in the 2019 draft. Through two seasons, he’s hauled in 45 receptions for 414 yards and four scores. Harry had a chance to prove himself in 2020 with a depleted depth chart, but he’ll have a tougher time getting looks in 2021 following the additions of Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor (plus tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith).

N’Keal Harry attended Patriots minicamp but has since made a trade request. The former first-round pick, however, remains under contract for two more years in New England.

The third-year wide receiver and the Patriots continue to hold talks about this matter, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, who adds Harry is expected to attend training camp (Twitter link). It would have been quite surprising if Harry were a no-show, given the $50K-per-day fines for holdouts.

New England has received interest on Harry this offseason, with Washington being a team that has inquired about the ex-Arizona State prospect’s status. Thus far, the Patriots have been linked to landing a fifth- or sixth-round pick for Harry — were they to unload him. A team acquiring Harry would be buying low. The Pats paid Harry’s $5.3MM signing bonus; an acquiring team would have only Harry’s base salaries — $1.41MM in 2021, $1.87MM in 2022 — on its books.

Harry has been in trade rumors for more than four months, even before the Pats signed Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. While Harry’s draft status is more indicative of a No. 1 wide receiver than what Agholor or Bourne have shown in their NFL careers, he has not come close to justifying it and sits behind UDFA Jakobi Meyers among Patriot wideouts. New tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry also surpassed Harry in the Pats’ aerial pecking order this offseason.

The Pats have a history of trading first-rounders while on their rookie deals during Bill Belichick‘s run. They unloaded Chandler Jones and running back Laurence Maroney after four seasons and dealt disappointing defensive lineman Dominique Easley after two. Harry’s profile certainly veers closer to Easley’s. If the Patriots cannot find a trade partner, they may be prepared to waive Harry. The Patriots have only cut one first-rounder over the course of his rookie contract (Brandon Meriweather in 2011).