The N’Keal Harry era in Foxborough will reportedly soon come to an end. It was quite forgettable.
In a widely expected move, the Patriots declined Harry’s fifth-year option Monday, according to Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus. If New England exercised Harry’s option, it would’ve been forced to pay him $12.425 million for 2023 — quite the price tag for a receiver who’s caught just 12 passes in two of his three seasons.
The Patriots selected Harry with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, famously ahead of wideouts DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel, all of whom are far better players than the Arizona State product.
Last summer, Harry asked for a trade through his agent, but wound up staying with the Patriots when his request wasn’t fulfilled.
Harry was seemingly rendered redundant with the acquisition of DeVante Parker, and his decision to no-show voluntary offseason workouts only further indicates he’s on the outs. With a base salary of $1.8 million and cap hit of $3.2 million, the Patriots could still cut Harry this offseason. Trading the little-used wideout would save $1.198 million in cap space.