Patriots: 3 trade destinations for struggling N’Keal Harry

If the Patriots decide to trade wideout N’Keal Harry, here are three potential destinations.

If we know anything about the New England Patriots’ cutthroat culture, it’s that they have a zero-tolerance policy for locker room drama. And by that we mean a personal feud between two players, not teammates getting in a heated argument after a gutting defeat.

With that in mind, the coaching staff couldn’t have been too fond of wideout N’Keal Harry’s trainer coming out publicly to lambaste quarterback Cam Newton, blaming the QB for Harry’s struggles instead of the player himself.

These sort of distractions are no doubt regarded as a big red flag in head coach Bill Belichick’s eyes and often land players in the doghouse. Knowing this — while clearly valuing his relationship with Newton — Harry swiftly responded by issuing an apology.

The Patriots organization no doubt appreciated Harry’s gesture, but you really can’t help but think that their patience is wearing thin with the 2019 first-round pick, who isn’t exactly making up for his camp’s antics (for lack of a better term) by producing on the field.

Through 11 games, Harry has just 29 receptions for 277 yards, the latter of which is a lower number than Julian Edelman’s total, who’s only played six games this season and looked like a shell of his normal consistent self before landing on injured reserve.

Taking all of this into account, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Patriots decided to just cut their losses on Harry in the offseason by trading him. While he hasn’t come close to realizing his full potential, his age (23) and physical attributes could make him an intriguing trade chip, so let’s highlight some potential destinations.

3. Green Bay Packers

The Packers desperately need to equip Aaron Rodgers with another wideout.

The Green Bay Packers shocked the world last April when they passed on drafting a wide receiver in the first round of the 2020 Draft in favor trading up to select quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ supposed successor in Jordan Love.

It was widely understood as the deepest WR class in several years, and we still can’t explain why the Packers, who were one win away from competing for a championship last season, decided to plan for the distant future over addressing the current flaws of their roster.

The bottom line is that they need to equip Rodgers with another receiver to lessen the burden on superstar Davante Adams, who currently leads the NFL in receiving yards per game (104.0) and touchdowns (14). That’s where Harry enters the equation as a potential solution for Green Bay.

We know Harry is an unproven commodity, but we couldn’t think of a better team than the Packers to help accelerate his maturation. The Arizona State product struggles at garnering separation from defenders, but Rodgers is arguably the best in the league at fitting passes into tight windows.

On top of that, Harry has showcased over the last two games that he excels at coming down with jump balls. This could help him morph into an appealing red zone target for Rodgers, who so often force-feeds Adams in those situations. Call us crazy, but the Packers — at least on paper — sound like an ideal destination for the struggling Patriots WR.