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N'Keal Harry has been in the news lately. For the uninitiated, Harry was originally drafted to be the successor to Julian Edelman. It has not come to pass. Harry asked for a trade and is still waiting for the New England Patriots to make a move. This leaves Harry with only one move. Will Harry sit out for the 2021 season if the New England Patriots do not trade him?
Why N'Keal Harry doesn't want to be on the Patriots anymore
In order to understand the context for this decision, it makes sense to start at the beginning. N'Keal Harry was drafted with the last pick of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. At the time, the Patriots knew that Julian Edelman was reaching the end of the line in the NFL. They were hoping that N'Keal Harry could be a suitable replacement.
Instead, Harry went on to have a rookie season on par with a seventh-round receiver. He had 12 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. While rookie seasons usually get cut some slack by default, having only 12 catches is a loud red flag. Put simply, 2020 needed to be big for Harry.
2020 was technically an improvement. However, it was not nearly enough. He caught 33 balls for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, other second-year receivers were setting the NFL on fire.
Of course, Harry has a small excuse in that Josh McDaniels' offense was not designed to be pass heavy behind Cam Newton and Newton also had accuracy issues. However, two seasons of almost no production cast a gloomy forecast for Harry's future.
N'Keal Harry's options
N'Keal Harry knows that he needs to make a big splash in order to have a future in the NFL. In his mind, if he can get away from the Patriots and land with a pass-happy team like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Rams, he has a chance at a bounceback season. More passes means more opportunities for Harry and an excuse if he puts up only a couple hundred yards in 2021.
It would be a win-win situation for Harry. He would either catch fire and show that he is a good receiver that did not fit in with the Patriots or he could say that there are too many mouths to feed, explaining away a slow season.
Thus far, the Patriots have not budged on his trade request. This leaves Harry weighing what most players would do if they were unhappy with their current situation. Should Harry hold out?
Why Harry should not hold out
Harry is caught between a rock and a hard place. Holding out seems like the quickest way to get the ball rolling. However, Harry does not have much leverage. He hasn't produced much in the NFL, so the Patriots would not be losing much without him.
If Harry truly does not wish to be a Patriot anymore, his best option would be to put together a good 2021 season and hold out next year. In other words, the only way out is by going deeper. However, this is a catch-22, because if Harry puts together a good season, he won't have a reason to want to go to another team since he is doing well on the team he is currently playing for.
No matter which way this is looked at, Harry is tangled in a bind. It seems that no matter which way he goes, his options are to be a New England Patriot in 2021 or find a new career.
