Bourne (knee) remains on the active/PUP list ahead of the Patriots' Aug. 25 preseason finale, Jacob Rousseau and Bill Kochof the Providence Journal report. It remains to be seen when Bourne -- who is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered last October -- will be able to resume practicing, but as Week 1 approaches, it becomes increasingly plausible that the veteran wideout could start the coming campaign on the PUP list. With the Patriots guided by a new coaching staff and transitioning at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, we suspect that the team will err on the side of caution with Bourne out of the gate this season. If he does end up out or limited early on, added opportunities would be available for some combination of DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutteand Jalen Reagor.
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Bourne (knee) remains on the active/PUP list ahead of the Patriots' Aug. 25 preseason finale, Jacob Rousseau and Bill Kochof the Providence Journal report. It remains to be seen when Bourne -- who is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered last October -- will be able to resume practicing, but as Week 1 approaches, it becomes increasingly plausible that the veteran wideout could start the coming campaign on the PUP list. With the Patriots guided by a new coaching staff and transitioning at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, we suspect that the team will err on the side of caution with Bourne out of the gate this season. If he does end up out or limited early on, added opportunities would be available for some combination of DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutteand Jalen Reagor.
Bourne (knee) will open training camp on the active/PUP list, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports. Bourne is bouncing back from a torn right ACL that he suffered last October, so it's not especially surprising that he isn't quite ready to practice as training camp opens. Previous reports relayed that Bourne anticipated being ready for Week 1 action, but while he's unavailable, DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Javon Baker, Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton are slated to compete for slotting in the Patriots' re-tooled WR corps.
Coach Jerod Mayo said Monday that Bourne (knee) will not participate in OTAs, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports. Bourne is working his way back from a right ACL tear that forced him to miss the final nine games of the 2023 campaign, and while he said back in March that he expects to be a "full go" for training camp, it looks like spring activities would be too early a benchmark. That will cost Bourne an early chance to build chemistry with new quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, but as long as he's indeed able to get on the practice field for training camp, there shouldn't be real concerns about his availability for Week 1. Bourne re-signed with the Patriots on a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason, though it only contains $5.5 million guaranteed at signing with a $19.5 million base value.
The Patriots have minimal commitment to Bourne (knee) beyond 2024 despite re-signing him to a three-year contract worth up to $33 million, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports. The deal is loaded with incentives and light on guarantees, with a base value of $19.5 million and only $5.5 million guaranteed at signing. Another $2.5 million becomes guaranteed for 2025 if Bourne reaches 800 yards in 2024, though the Patriots presumably would want to keep him around in that case anyway. The 28-year-old had a career-high 800 receiving yards in 2021, his first season with the Patriots, and he was on pace for 863 yards and eight TDs last season until an ACL tear cost him the final nine games. Bourne said in February that his rehab was ahead of schedule, and in early March he added that he expects to be a "full go" for training camp and Week 1. It's not yet clear who he'll be catching passes from or competing for targets with, apart from the likelihood of second-year WR Demario Douglas and veteran TE Hunter Henry getting significant playing time.
Bourne (knee) and the Patriots agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8 last season, Bourne was easily the Patriots' best receiver. It wasn't a high bar to clear, but it made too much sense to bring Bourne back after he put up a 37-406-4 line on 55 targets across eight appearances. He was on pace for a career year and will head into his age-29 season later this year. Bourne has already stated he expects to be ready for training camp. Look for the Patriots to further address their wideout depth chart in free agency and the draft.
Bourne (knee) expects to be able to do some work in the spring and will be a full go for training camp, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Bourne is rehabbing from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 8 of the 2023 season. He was on pace to shatter his personal bests in nearly every statistical category before his campaign was cut short. Bourne is set to become a free agent in the league year, and he has stated that he would like to rejoin the Patriots and reportedly has an offer from the team.
The Patriots have offered Bourne (knee) a new contract, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports. The Patriots hope to re-sign Bourne before March 11 when the impending free agent can begin negotiating with other teams. The wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 8 of 2023, ending what was on track to be a career year with personal bests of 4.6 catches and 50.8 receiving yards per game. Bourne said at the Super Bowl that he's ahead of schedule in his rehab and would like to re-sign with New England, though he also said part of his motivation for attending the big game in Las Vegas was to "get [his] name out there" for potential suitors in free agency. Bourne mostly served as a No. 3 receiver before 2023 -- in San Francisco and then New England -- and that might be how a lot of teams view him as he rehabs from the severe knee injury in preparation for his age-29 season in 2024.
Per Rapoport, based on the initial diagnosis, the hope is that Bourne is dealing with an MCL injury. If New England's leading receiver is forced to miss time, the team's wideout corps could be shorthanded in Week 9, with DeVante Parker also having left Sunday's game against the Dolphins with a head injury. If both players are out next weekend against the Commanders, Tyquan Thornton and/or Kayshon Boutte would be candidates to suit up after having been inactive versus Miami.
Per Zack Cox of NESN.com, Bourne was shaken up after an awkward tackle along the sideline. With both Bourne and DeVante Parker (head) having been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's contest, Demario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor are the Patriots' remaining wide receiver options in Week 8. Before his exit, Bourne caught three of his four targets for 36 yards and a touchdown.