Would a N’Keal Harry trade make sense for the Chiefs?

New England Patriots WR N’Keal Harry has formally requested a trade, but would the Kansas City Chiefs make sense as a trade destination?

On Tuesday afternoon, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shared a statement from Harry’s agent, Jamal Tooson. The statement formally requested that Harry be traded from New England, two seasons removed from being drafted with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

“For the past several months, I have been working in cooperation with the Patriots behind the scenes to put a plan in place to allow N’Keal (Harry) to thrive in New England,” Tooson wrote, via Garafolo. “Through two seasons, he has 86 targets, which obviously hasn’t met the expectations the Patriots and N’Keal had when they drafted a dominant downfield threat who was virtually unstoppable at the point of attack in college. Following numerous conversations with the Patriots, I believe it’s time for a fresh start and best for both parties if N’Keal moves on before the start of training camp. That’s why I have informed the Patriots today I am formally requesting a trade on behalf of my client.”

At face value, a trade to acquire Harry seems like it’d be right up Brett Veach’s alley. No front office in the NFL has shown more willingness to take on so-called “reclamation projects” as of late than the Chiefs. It has worked out for Kansas City to varying degrees of success, with trade acquisitions like Reggie Ragland, Cam Erving, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Darron Lee all making contributions.

Some believe that the Chiefs have a very clear need at the receiver position with the departure of Sammy Watkins. The team did show some interest in free agent WR JuJu Smith-Schuster before he re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was before the addition of rookie WR Cornell Powell through the 2021 NFL draft. They’ve also added a few players to the 90-man offseason roster during the course of OTAs and minicamp. When minicamp broke Chiefs HC Andy Reid said he’s “comfortable” with the receivers that the team currently has.

All of that shouldn’t preclude the front office from trying to improve the receiver position ahead of training camp, though. Do the Chiefs feel that Harry is an improvement over the players they currently have? How much will he cost in trade and do they value him enough to give up draft capital? Those are things that we can’t exactly predict. In two seasons with the Patriots, Harry has only managed 414 receiving yards and four touchdowns. That’s hardly good production in the NFL and not even half of the totals that Mecole Hardman has in the past two seasons.

What we do know is that the Chiefs did show interest in N’Keal Harry ahead of the 2019 NFL draft, but the team was without a first-round pick after the Frank Clark trade. Harry revealed to Chiefs Wire that he had been interviewed by Kansas City at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, but he didn’t specify whether it was a formal or informal interview.

One thing that could dissuade the Chiefs from making a trade for Harry is his rookie contract. He would cost Kansas City $1.4 million in cap space in 2021 and $3.2 million in cap space in 2022. If they’re not certain they can turn him around, that’s quite a bit of money to commit to a player. At the same time, he still has a fifth-year club option that could prove appealing if the team is confident in their ability to utilize Harry.

Ultimately, it all comes down to how the Chiefs evaluate and value a player like Harry. If they see him as someone who can come in and immediately play that “X” receiver role vacated by Watkins, a trade would be a no-brainer. At the same time, maybe they can avoid making a trade. If the Patriots can’t find a trade partner for Harry, it’s possible that he doesn’t make it through 53-man roster cuts. Sometimes patience is rewarded in the NFL, so perhaps waiting on this one would be the best course of action for Kansas City.

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