After initially making the 53-man roster after the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on Tuesday, it appears veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will be looking for a new home this fall.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Bourne is now healthy after missing most of training camp with a foot injury, and the 30-year-old asked the organization for a release as he seeks a “fresh start.”
Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald followed up on X.com a few minutes later, adding that Bourne’s release request came after the team was unable to finalize a trade that would have sent him to Minnesota.
In his four seasons in New England, Bourne played in 53 games, catching 155 balls and 11 touchdowns while amassing 1,945 receiving yards.
Not monster numbers by any means, but it should be noted that Bourne’s best season of his career came in 2021 - Josh McDaniels’ final season as offensive coordinator in New England before departing for the head coaching gig in Vegas.
That year, he caught 55 balls for 800 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.
When Bourne made the unofficial “final” list on Tuesday evening, fans and media alike wondered if that 2021 production helped salvage his New England career given how much time he missed in camp after a bad season in 2024.
But it appears 2021 was too long ago to save him, and Bourne will hit the open market in search of a new team.
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