Getty Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is a rumored trade target for multiple teams.
Kendrick Bourne is coming off a career year with the New England Patriots, but he has become a bit of an invisible man through the first six weeks of the NFL season.
Bourne caught 55 passes on 70 targets for 800 yards and five touchdowns in his first year in New England, but through six games so far this season, he has 11 catches on 14 targets for 156 yards.
Those numbers would make him the No. 2 receiver for the Chicago Bears, who have the worst passing attack in the NFL (122.8 yards a game). Behind Chicago’s top receiver Darnell Mooney (17 receptions, 241 yards), free agent addition Dante Pettis is second on the team in receiving (five catches, 135 yards, two touchdowns), while wideout Equanimeous St. Brown has 110 receiving yards. No other Bears receiver has close to 100 yards.
Bourne isn’t a game-breaker, but he has good hands and has been reliable since entering the league. He has no major red flags in his injury history recently, as he has missed just one game over the last four years. One analyst is pushing the Bears to call the Pats about Bourne before the trade deadline hits on November 1.
Kendrick Bourne Has ‘Become Expendable’ in New England, Analyst Says
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report thinks the Bears need to add Bourne via trade “right now.” The urgency, he says, should come from the Bears needing to know more about what they have in quarterback Justin Fields. Adding a reliable weapon on offense could only help them in that endeavor.
“Adding a veteran receiver who can be a reliable target in the intermediate areas of the field would go a long way in figuring out what Fields can do with a supporting cast,” Ballentine wrote on October 17. “Kendrick Bourne fits that description, and based on his usage this season, he could be available.”
Ballentine thinks New England would be willing to trade Bourne, as well.
“On the season, Bourne has seen just 14 targets,” Ballentine added. “For a player who had 55 catches for 800 yards last season, he’s become expendable. While he’s fallen out of favor in New England, he could be Fields’ favorite target outside of Darnell Mooney in Chicago.”
Ballentine isn’t the only one fueling Bourne trade rumors. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler wrote on October 18 that “multiple teams have called” the Patriots inquiring about Bourne’s availability.
“Bourne would welcome a change in uniform due to declining opportunities,” Fowler added.
What Does Kendrick Bourne’s Contract Look Like?
Bourne, 27, signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and he spent four seasons with them before heading to New England in 2021.
Now in his second year with the Patriots, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound WR was a solid target for quarterback Mac Jones last season, finishing with 14.5 yards per reception and 7.2 yards after the catch. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of 135.1 when targeting Bourne last year (stats via PFF). A reliable and durable veteran at wide receiver could only help the Bears at this point, and Bourne is also affordable.
Per Over the Cap, the veteran wideout has a base salary of $4.25 million ($1 million guaranteed) and a cap hit of $6.9 million. The Bears have just under $6.7 million in available cap space after Week 6, so adding Bourne would certainly be doable.
The question, then, would become compensation via draft picks. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is nothing if not shrewd, and he’s not going to take peanuts for Bourne. That said, if New England would be willing to send him away for multiple Day 2 picks — much like the Carolina Panthers just did with wide receiver Robbie Anderson — it might be worth a call for Bears general manager Ryan Poles.