After spending the last four seasons with the New England Patriots, the team will release wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. According to the breaking news, the Patriots are letting go of the playmaker after requesting his release from the team, and now he gets his wish. Originally selected as an undrafted rookie in 2017, the former Eastern Washington product is already receiving interest from teams as he’s arguably one of the top and cheapest available offensive playmakers. The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly looking into Bourne, and this makes a ton of sense given that this is where he started his career.
Bourne was already the subject of several rumors this offseason, between being a cut candidate and a trade that might’ve been on the horizon. The Patriots will continue cutting down their receiver depth, so they can trim down their 53-man roster and give quarterback Drake Maye plenty of consistent playmakers. For Bourne, it shouldn’t be too long before he finds a new home. Plenty of teams were looking at him after the Patriots got both Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, but the team didn’t want to go through with a possible trade.
While Bourne won’t receive the high-end contract for his next team that he joins, here are four other teams that could intervene and snag Bourne from the 49ers.
Breaking: Patriots Release Former Undrafted Bust Kendrick Bourne – 4 Suitors Emerge
Best Fits
Los Angeles Chargers
After missing out on DK Metcalf earlier this offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers had to settle for signing Keenan Allen in a reunion. While the signing could give Justin Herbert some type of relief for his passing game, they can’t afford to go back in the past, and instead, they should be moving forward. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Tre Harris and Ladd McConkey are the future of this receiver group, so they should build upon that. The Chargers bringing in one more veteran wouldn’t be surprising, given the stakes they gave for Allen.
Bourne wouldn’t burn much into the cap space for the Chargers, so he could find a temporary role to help lead Herbert and this offense further in the postseason.
Dallas Cowboys
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will lose Jonathan Mingo for several weeks, which is a huge hit to their depth chart. While they’re not in the market for a superstar receiver anymore due to George Pickens’ trade earlier this offseason, they could afford a low-stakes weapon. Bourne won’t take snaps away from Pickens or CeeDee Lamb, but it gives separation in the aerial attack, so Dak Prescott could sling it better.
Washington Commanders
However, after releasing Michael Gallup, the Washington Commanders could use one last veteran presence for Jayden Daniels’ offense. Between Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and untapped talent Luke McCaffrey, they could easily find a role for Bourne. He doesn’t need the most attention to draw plays since he’s able to make an impact in any situation.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens aren’t in the market for a receiver, but it’d be nice to strengthen this offensive roster. The team already has three high-level playmakers in Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins. Bourne’s signing would be like icing on the cake.
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