Patriots: New WR Kendrick Bourne already talking remarkably big game

The New England Patriots’ passing game is expected to make drastic improvements after it finished 30th in yards per game (180.6) and tied for last in touchdowns (12) last year.

While Cam Newton having a full offseason to get further acclimated to their playbook will presumably pay huge dividends after he had just two months to do so after he was signed last offseason, the results of the Patriots’ offseason spending spree will be just as, if not more, important.

Of course, New England renovated their legion of pass-catchers with signings like Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.

Though fans will likely have more confidence at tight end than wide receiver, the WR corps is a lot stronger than it was in 2020.

It’ll be interesting to see if Bourne or Agholor is the more successful signing, but the former is already expressing confidence in his game.

So much so, in fact, that Bourne went out of his way to make some truly hubristic comments about his future with the Patriots.

Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne is already taking a big game.

Bourne spoke with Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald last week and was overwhelmingly adamant about his desire to say in Foxborough for the remainder of his career. Let us remind you that Bourne is just 25 years old and hasn’t even played a preseason game for the Patriots yet.

"“I would love to be here for a long time and finish here, for sure,” Bourne said. “To be in the community here is big. I just want to give back to wherever I am. That’s the main thing.”“It was a no-brainer to come here. How much they believed in me and appreciated my play style was just awesome in and of itself. The way they accept me as I am, I just appreciate it. It would seem like the type of place where you can’t be so goofy or excited or how I am, but they let me be the way I am because they know I play best that way.”"

To Bourne’s credit, he managed to avoid entirely soiling himself by gloating about the Patriots’ franchise and their approach to signing him in free agency.

The four-year pro is also the second player in as many offseasons (Newton was the first) who squashed the narrative that New England doesn’t allow players to express themselves on the practice field. That’s not entirely pertinent. We just felt the need to point that out.

Getting back to Bourne’s comments, however, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that his emotions got the best of him during this interview. We also don’t know what Callahan asked the 25-year-old that compelled him to forecast his long-term future with the Patriots, so fans should also consider that before jumping to conclusions.

With that being said, these were utterly preposterous comments from Bourne, who’s never managed 50 catches, more than 670 receiving yards or five touchdowns in a single season. The Pats’ decision to give him a three-year deal worth up to $15 million despite consistent minimal production was immediately questioned by fans, and rightly so.

With that in mind, Bourne jumping the gun and claiming he wants to finish his career in Foxborough (not that that’s a bad thing) was entirely off base. From this point forward, he’d be better off taking things one game, or season, at a time.

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