Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Kendrick Bourne prepares for possible trade from Patriots before deadline
"I love the organization. I understand. No hard feelings, and that’s always just me having a positive mindset.”
While much of the country keeps track of the presidential election on Tuesday, Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne will be waiting to find out if he’s staying in New England or not.
The veteran Pats pass-catcher is one of several players at the center of trade rumors this year as the team sits at 2-7 and might be moved before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. He has played in just five games due to his recovery from an ACL injury last season, catching eight passes for 70 yards so far in 2024.
True to form, though, the former undrafted free agent is keeping things in perspective as his future hangs in the balance.
Advertisement:
“When you enter the NFL, this is what you might have to deal with: injuries, trades, business, family differences,” Bourne told “The Quick Snap” podcast on Monday. “You have to deal with so much. People think it’s all easy, what we do. We have all this money, and we ride off into the sunset. But it’s not like that. When I think about trades, I understand.
“So, if Eliot [Wolf] tells me, ‘Hey, we see value in you, and we can make this team better…’ hey, I love the organization. I understand. No hard feelings, and that’s always just me having a positive mindset.”
Bourne has yet to regain the form he showed last season when he put a disastrous 2022 campaign behind him and was on pace to surpass his breakout 2021 season before his injury. However, several receiver-needy teams could use both his playmaking ability and locker room-friendly attitude. He also signed a team-friendly contract extension this offseason (three years, $19 million) that would make him easily movable.
Advertisement:
The Patriots have already dealt edge-rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs and have reportedly been open to moving other notable players as well.
Bourne would certainly make sense on paper as a trade candidate with many of the team’s young receivers, like Javon Baker, needing to develop on the field. However, one could argue the receiver room badly needs a positive veteran presence like Bourne given its unreliable performance this season. The eighth-year pro is an unmistakable beacon of energy in practice and one of the more well-liked players on the team.
Unlike the other results we’ll be keeping an eye on, we’ll know Bourne’s fate for certain by this afternoon.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com