New England Patriots trade options with San Francisco 49ers
The New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are two teams that have won their respective conferences in recent years and are looking to figure out a way to do it again in 2021. Not only that, but the Patriots and 49ers both used first-round picks on the quarterback position in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The New England Patriots took the guy — Mac Jones — that many were convinced was the San Francisco 49ers’ guy at the top of the 2021 Draft. The 49ers ended up using the third overall pick — which they traded a lot to get — on North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, an extremely talented and highly respected young player with only 17 starts at NDSU under his belt.
As the 2021 NFL season gets closer and closer, the possibility of trades being struck between teams increases. The Patriots and 49ers have assets that each team might be interested in acquiring, or at least there are some deals that could make some sense.
What deals could these two teams strike in the coming weeks?
Let’s take a look at some scenarios.
New England Patriots/San Francisco 49ers trade possibilities
1. Patriots trade WR N’Keal Harry to 49ers
N’Keal Harry is one of the most obvious trade candidates heading into training camp and preseason play, and the 49ers make as much sense as anyone for the former New England Patriots’ first-round pick out of Arizona State.
Harry’s NFL career has obviously not taken off as many thought it might. In two seasons, he has 42 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns, and the Patriots really spent a lot of money this offseason adding different weapons in the passing game.
Harry could certainly play his way into the rotation, but he was drafted to be a WR1 and it hasn’t worked out. The Pats are not afraid to move on from what they perceive to be a sunk cost and the 49ers are a fun fit for a number of reasons.
The primary reason this would be such an interesting fit? Harry played college ball with 49ers 2020 first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk, who is coming off of a very good rookie season.
At Arizona State in 2018, Harry and Aiyuk combined for over 1,500 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, both players averaging over 14 yards per reception.
The 49ers’ depth at wide receiver beyond Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel is not great, and they could really be a great situation for Harry to land in because of that very reason.