Getty Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers
K
endrick Bourne is coming off the best season of his NFL career and is looking to do even better with the New England Patriots in 2022.
ALL the latest Patriots news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Patriots newsletter here!
Bourne, 26, joined New England in 2021 after having a solid start to his NFL career. With the San Francisco 49ers, Bourne racked up 137 receptions for 1,769 yards and 11 touchdowns over four seasons.
But 2021 was a breakout year for the wide receiver. In his first season in a Patriots uniform, Bourne was New England’s leading receiver as he led the team in touchdowns (5). Bourne also tallied 55 receptions for 800 yards.
After such a great season, Bourne’s eyes are set on reaching a milestone that every receiver strives for. He wants to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in 2022.
But Bourne doesn’t want to do it alone. He believes that both he and Jakobi Meyers can reach the milestone.
“1k each for me and my dog? What y’all think ?!!!” Bourne posted on Instagram next to a picture of himself and Meyers. “My dawg✊🏾” replied Meyers in the comments.
In 2021, Meyers led the Patriots with 83 receptions and 866 receiving yards.
Getting Some Attention
Meyers wasn’t the only New England wide receiver to comment on Bourne’s post. Recently acquired DeVante Parker also hopes to garner some attention from quarterback Mac Jones.
“Just save me some and we good😂,” Parker commented.
Parker is the only receiver in the Patriots locker room who has ever reached 1,000 receiving yards. In 2019, Parker racked up 72 receptions for 1,202 yards with the Miami Dolphins.
Bourne’s post also gathered the attention of running back Damien Harris who is ready for Bill Belichick to hold the wide receivers to their word.
“Bill gone show this in squad (meetings)🤣,” Harris said.
A Long Time Coming
Patriots fans will just be hoping that one receiver is able to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards. The last time that happened was in 2019 with Julian Edelman being the lucky receiver. Edelman had 100 receptions that year for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns.
Beyond being a milestone for the wide receivers, this would be just another step forward in Jones’ young NFL career. It would be the first time that he has had a receiver tally over 1,000 yards in his career.
With all the targets in the passing game, the potential to reach 1,000 receiving yards could be tough. While Parker is the top dog in the group, Jones also has chemistry with Bourne and Meyers. The expectation appears to be that Jones will be able to spread the ball all over the field in 2022. This doesn’t even include the likes of James White, J.J. Taylor, or Hunter Henry.
But after the departure of Tom Brady, the passing game seems to be primed for a return to dominance in 2022. Jones will have some familiarity entering his second NFL season while also gaining some impressive pass catchers. New England could continue to improve at the position with the 2022 NFL Draft kicking off on April 28.
Still, Patriots fans will be keeping an eye on Bourne and Meyers as they look to achieve their goal of eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards in 2022.