Photo: Bears Wire

The three-year disappointment that was N’Keal Harry’s Patriots career finally came to a close on Tuesday evening.

The Patriots traded the former 2019 first-round pick to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 7th round draft pick around 5 P.M.

Almost exactly a year after asking for a trade, Harry finally got his wish. Harry’s total numbers as a Patriot are as underwhelming as you’ll find for a guy that came in with quite a bit of hype given his perceived athleticism. In the 33 games he was part of, Harry started 18 and caught 57 balls on 107 targets for just 598 yards and four touchdowns.

Ultimately, there are two main reasons why this is mutually beneficial to both sides. First, Harry can clear the slate and get a fresh start in a new city. From the Patriots’ perspective, with the signing of DeVante Parker and rookie Tyquan Thornton most likely taking up a roster spot, there was simply no room left for Harry. Parker, Thornton, Agholor, Bourne, Meyers and then Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry provide Mac Jones with quite a few options. Tre Nixon also emerged in minicamp. Now, he’s got one less body to contend with for reps and could also be a bigger factor in the offense. Harry was most likely going to be released anyway at some point in camp, so any compensation was going to be just fine at this point.

Arguably the best part of this trade is the fact that the Patriots aren’t clinging to the first round guy just because he was a first round guy. Bill Belichick acknowledges a mistake with the move and now everyone can move on. Will he go down as one of the biggest busts in Patriots history? Absolutely, but if the receivers plays up to their talent level this season, it’ll eventually be forgotten – to an extent. The debacle that was Harry’s career here can never fully be erased.

The Bears visit Gillette Stadium on October 24th for a Monday Night Football matchup, but I think it’s safe to say we won’t need need to worry about it turning into a revenge game.