FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Chicago Bears have acquired wide receiver N’Keal Harry from the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft choice, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates.
Harry, the final selection in the first round of the 2019 draft (32nd overall), never truly panned out in New England after becoming the highest drafted receiver in Bill Belichick’s tenure (2000-present).
He totaled 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns in 36 regular-season games.
Harry, who had requested a trade prior to the 2021 season, faced an uphill climb to earn a roster spot this season after New England traded for veteran DeVante Parker. In addition to Parker, the Patriots have Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne locked into the top spots on their depth chart.
Harry had not been a participant in the team’s voluntary offseason program, and during June’s mandatory minicamp, had been leapfrogged by others who had previously been behind him on the depth chart.
The Patriots, who are tight to the salary cap, receive roughly $1 million in much-needed relief by trading Harry.
In 2019, Harry had been a highly-touted prospect coming out of Arizona State, where he had appeared in 37 career games and totaled 213 receptions for 2,889 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Patriots had been excited about his physical makeup (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and knack for making contested catches.
While that didn’t manifest itself in New England, Harry now joins a receiving corps in Chicago headlined by third-year pro Darnell Mooney, who led the team with 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns last season. The Bears also drafted Tennessee’s Velus Jones Jr. in the third round.