When rumors began flying about potential Percy Harvin trades last offseason, the star receiver was hoping he would wind up with a contender. The Seattle Seahawks made that desire a reality, although another annual playoff contender was apparently interested in Harvin as well.
Harvin revealed Thursday that the New England Patriots expressed interest in acquiring him during the offseason. The Seahawks finally pulled the trigger on a deal, though, sending first- and seventh-round picks in 2013 and a third-rounder in 2014 to the Minnesota Vikings for the versatile playmaker. But the Patriots were at least in the conversation at one point.
“It flew around for a little bit, but I never really dug into it to see how much interest there was,” Harvin said, per the Boston Herald. “I was working out and waiting for my agent to do all that work.”
The Patriots clearly were in the market for a true No. 1 receiver last offseason, with rumors now surfacing that the team looked into Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. But, according to Harvin at least, the Patriots tried to acquire Harvin as far back as the 2009 NFL draft.
“They had a workout — it was two days before the draft,” Harvin said Thursday. “I knew it was either going to be Minnesota or [Bill] Belichick with the next pick. They were actually on the phone trying to trade up and flip-flop. Belichick and [former Florida coach Urban] Meyer have been friends for so long. Belichick visited Florida when Meyer was there, frequently, pretty much every year, so we were familiar with each other. So it came close.”
While Harvin played only one regular-season game this season because of lingering hip problems, the Patriots certainly could have used a playmaker of his ilk. Instead, he’ll be suiting up for the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, which will likely leave Belichick wondering what might have been.
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