Patriots, Texans Linked to Bold WR Trade

Could the New England Patriots and Houston Texans hook up on this wide receiver trade before the NFL trade deadline?

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the 4th quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New England Patriots fell to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, eliminating any outside shot of the team making a miraculous playoff run.

Let's be honest: we knew it wasn't happening anyway, but now that the Patriots are 2-7, they can start seriously looking toward 2025 (as if they weren't already).

New England still has until Tuesday's NFL trade deadline to move some more players in order to acquire more draft capital, and one name that keeps surfacing in trade speculation is wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.

Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine has identified a potential trade partner for Bourne: the Houston Texans.

"This loss made it clear that the Texans are going to miss [Stefon] Diggs," Ballentine wrote. "The veteran receiver tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season. [Nico] Collins could be back as early as next week, but the Texans can't afford to have another game where Stroud doesn't have alternatives in the passing game."

The Texans were loaded with weapons going into the season, but now, things have gotten very hairy for Houston in its receiving corps.

But will the Pats actually jettison Bourne?

While Bourne seems like a natural trade candidate given his age (he is 29), the Patriots did sign him to a contract extension during the offseason, and some feel that he actually will not be moved.

It's important to keep in mind that New England surely wants to keep some weapons for rookie quarterback Drake Maye, both for now and the future. So perhaps the Pats would actually prefer to retain Bourne?

Bourne returned from a torn ACL last month and has logged eight catches for 70 yards in five games. Four of those receptions came int he Patriots' loss to the Titans in Week 9.

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