Kendrick Bourne put up a career high in receiving yards last season, and is setting his sights even higher for the upcoming campaign.
On Instagram, the veteran wideout posted that he and Jakobi Meyers are aiming for 1,000-yard seasons. “1k each for me and my dog? What y'all think?!!,” he wrote.
Though it’s not uncommon for receivers to make bold proclamations, it’s a little unusual to see someone on the Patriots publicly talk about chasing individual numbers. Running back Damien Harris seemed to allude to that, replying “Bill gone show this in squad,” with a requisite rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emoji.
Meyers led the Patriots last year with 83 catches for 866 yards, while Bourne came down with 55 receptions and 800 yards. “My dawg,” Meyers replied, with an accompanying fist-pound emoji.
DeVante Parker, the only Patriots wideout with a 1,000-yard season on his resume — he had 72 catches for 1,202 yards with the Dolphins in 2019 — participated in the conversation as well. “Just save me some and we good,” he wrote.
Of course, offseason Instagram posts mean very little, if anything, when it comes to projecting player performance. But it’s apparent the Patriots receivers are gelling with each other. Bourne, Meyers, Parker and Nelson Agholor — who Bourne also predicted will have a 1,000-yard campaign — all recently participated in a raucous throwing session with Mac Jones in the Tampa Bay Area.
For what it’s worth, Julian Edelman is the last Patriot receiver to gain 1,000 yards in a season. He caught 100 balls for 1,117 yards in 2019 with Tom Brady under center.
