Kendrick Bourne joins the Patriots Talk Podcast to discuss his impending free agency
Kendrick Bourne appears to be getting his wish.
The veteran wide receiver is signing a three-year contract with the Patriots to stay in New England, his agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday. Bourne's deal includes $19.5 million in base salary, a $4.2 million signing bonus and up to $33 million in maximum value if he reaches certain incentives, the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan reports.
It's an impressive new deal for Bourne, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent after playing out his three-year, $15 million contract with New England. The 28-year-old will earn even more on his new deal, which will keep him with the Patriots through 2026.
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Bourne led the team in receptions (37) and receiving yards (406) through eight games last season before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. He enjoyed a career season in his first year with the Patriots -- 800 receiving yards on 55 catches in 2021 -- and will have the chance to get back to that level with a new head coach (Jerod Mayo), offensive coordinator (Alex Van Pelt) and quarterback (TBD).
Bourne expressed a desire to stay in New England during a conversation with our Tom E. Curran in the week before the Super Bowl.
"I felt like we were in a rebuild. That's personally how I felt, it was a rebuild the three years I was there," Bourne told Curran in early February. "I loved being part of that and setting the foundation, and I think it's going to take off pretty soon. So, I want to be part of the take-off, in a sense.
"I'm excited for the new chapter and I would love to be a part of it, man. I definitely have unfinished business."
New head of personnel Eliot Wolf has made several big moves over the past few days, reportedly agreeing to a three-year deal with tight end Hunter Henry and reportedly trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.
Many moves are still to come -- the Patriots enter the upcoming NFL free agency period with nearly $83 million in cap space -- but Wolf already has locked up two members of New England's core entering a transformational offseason in Foxboro.
