Patriots Predicted to Cut Ties with Veteran WR

The New England Patriots have been predicted to cut ties with a veteran wide receiver in the offseason.

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) warms up before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots will have quite a few big decisions to make during the upcoming offseason.

As they look to get back to being a playoff contender, the front office will have to make quite a few moves. From bringing in outside talent to making decisions about players currently on the roster, it is going to be a very busy offseason for the Patriots.

Speaking of players currently on the roster, there is a veteran wide receiver whose future hangs in the balance with New England.

Kendrick Bourne has been a great locker room presence for the Patriots this season. However, he has been unable to be a consistent impact player.

That has led team insider Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston to predict that New England will move on from him this offseason.

"I also would look at Kendrick Bourne. I know people love Kendrick Bourne; I love Kendrick Bourne's personality and I think he's in some ways really good for that locker room. But he has an issue with being in the right place at the right time and doing so consistently," Perry stated.

"He's still under contract, but you could get out of it. You can actually save yourself some cap dollars. I wouldn't be surprised if that ended up being what happens next year."

During the 2024 NFL season with the Patriots, Bourne has played in 11 games. He dealt with some injury issues that caused the year to get off to a slow start for him.

In his 11 games played, Bourne has mustered up just 26 catches for 293 yards and a touchdown.

Whether New England ends up trading him or simply moving on from him, that does seem like the most likely outcome. Bourne simply does not project to be a key part of the offense in the future.

If the Patriots do move on from Bourne, he won't have a hard time finding a new team. There are quite a few potential landing spots who need help at the wide receiver position.

At 29 years old and turning 30 before next season, that landing spot simply doesn't seem to be New England anymore.

It will be very interesting to see what the Patriots choose to do this offseason. They have to get aggressive and unfortunately moving on from Bourne might be part of that plan.

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