Player Signing Patriots re-sign Bourne for 3 years

[jdlboot14]

Okay, that adjusted yearly base salary is MUCH better than initial report of $11M/yr.
I mean, it should have been the deal given to Meyers last year, but Bourne is a very good #2, and a good team guy.

I love that this new regime is taking care of their core guys.
It seems as if they're doing what makes sense - important team guys & good players get the deals to stay (not just STers)
hmmmm... if only the previous HoF coach/gm understood that?!?

 

[borg]

3 years for a guy coming off an acl? I’m guessing there are a ton of incentives here….

A post-ACL player who struggles to pick up new offenses and will be working under his 4th OC in 4 years (as a Patriot).

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Nah, it makes sense AFTER the top 3 receivers were taken off the board. With Evans, Higgins and Pittman Jr staying with their teams, it left imo, an underwhelming list of receivers. Bourne was ranked #11 among the UFA receivers. My biggest issue with him is his acl and not being a difference maker. He's a good soldier though, so I get it. Plus, his contract is reasonable.

Currently, team has Parker, JuJu, Bourne, Douglas, Thornton, and Boutte. That's exactly who we had this past season (minus Reagor). Running back the worse receiving corps in the league was not what I had in mind. Not a lot of room left for more receivers, maybe 1 or 2 more?

I think they will bolt one WR on (like Ridley), but the WR will not change a lot because Wolf and crew picked most of those guys. I know BB was in charge, but for example, BB did not fly around looking at Boney T in college. Thornton was obviously Wolf or Groh's pick but the BB haters will go crazy rather than admit that. Sambam is already predicting that Mac will blossom in Jacksonville and prove BB ruined him. The hate will never end, but realistically Wolf feels attached to the guys he picked.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

A post-ACL player who struggles to pick up new offenses and will be working under his 4th OC in 4 years (as a Patriot).

View attachment 56941

And by his own admission had a lousy attitude in '22.

 

[Kdo5]

I don't have a specific issue with either Henry or Bourne re-signing. Our "weapons" sucked as a unit last year even before Bourne's injury, but that doesn't mean each individual player is bad. Those guys are good, solid players. The issue is that they ranked too high on our depth chart of receiving threats.

I was/still am hoping for some upside plays though. Like, I'd love to sign a guy like Kendrick Bourne when we did 3 years ago for example. Take a guy that had some room to grow from his old team, give him a deal that he can grow into and outplay and maybe be a good value on the roster by the end of his deal. At this stage, feels like Bourne now and especially Henry sort of "are what they are". And that's fine, but I do want some upside guys sprinkled in and there's only so many WR and TE spots to fill. But on the face of it, these seem good signings.

I think they are important signings for the simple fact that we have three solid pass catches to work with. That's not enough but its something. Imagine how bad this could be without Hunter Henry and Bourne! I was worried we'd lose one if not both.

The path forward is that we need to hit on at least a decent WR draft pick and go sign someone like Calvin Ridley. To accomplish both of those can ease our situation a good amount and we can really turn our attention to the OL.

 

[Sicilian]

A post-ACL player who struggles to pick up new offenses and will be working under his 4th OC in 4 years (as a Patriot).

View attachment 56941

Not sure where you're getting that he struggles picking up offenses... he was pretty good in 2021 under McDaniels, and was having a good year before his injury under O'Brien. So he seems to struggle picking up offenses that are coordinated by defensive coaches, but that's hardly unique to him, eh?

 

[Kdo5]

And by his own admission had a lousy attitude in '22.

You can actually argue the complete opposite and that he had a very good attitude in '22. Most players would've thrown a fit and demanded a trade on the spot. Bourne spoke the truth, not harshly, during the early stage of the season/pre-season. And when he was wrongfully benched he never became a malcontent or said things or bashed the organization/coaches to the media about it.

He was talking up the organization and expressing excitement to be here this off-season, before a contract was negotiated. I am still befuddled by how little of a fuss he has made over his time here.

And if he actually admitted he had a lousy attitude, it never showed publicly and it would've been completely justified.

 

[Wozzy]

The weapons did suck but they have to keep somebody. And they're not done yet.

The same way Jonnu rebounded after he left, and Agholor did as well... Bourne, Henry, Juju, assuming they're all healthy are proven professionals... they were and always have been "good" weapons.

They're not going to the HOF, but in the era they played... very solid players. The kind a great QB would lead the league in scoring with. Mac sucked, the blocking was a mess due to injuries, the coaching and front office might have been at odds.

QB's make weapons, not the other way around.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

You can actually argue the complete opposite and that he had a very good attitude in '22. Most players would've thrown a fit and demanded a trade on the spot. Bourne spoke the truth, not harshly, during the early stage of the season/pre-season. And when he was wrongfully benched he never became a malcontent or said things or bashed the organization/coaches to the media about it.

He was talking up the organization and expressing excitement to be here this off-season, before a contract was negotiated. I am still befuddled by how little of a fuss he has made over his time here.

And if he actually admitted he had a lousy attitude, it never showed publicly and it would've been completely justified.

"I was very disappointed in myself and my play and everything, how the year went, so just giving myself the best opportunity to be the best I can be for the team," he said. "I didn't give the team my best effort, so personally, we all as players need to bring what we can -- be our best -- so that we can give the team the best opportunity to win. And I felt like I didn't do that. So, like I said, I've been grinding, trying to get bigger, weighing more, and just being a more solid receiver to be able to do more."

Bourne said he was disappointed in himself and was grinding trying to get bigger (that means he was not in top shape). But no matter what Bourne said, you have already decided his attitude was justified without even knowing the facts of the situation.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

What about "the 2023 weapons sucked" people... now that they're re-signing all the same weapons?

Saying the weapons suck doesn't mean each individual player does. Henry/Bourne/Douglas all seem to be pretty good players worth having on the roster. But if those are our top 3 receiving threats then our weapons as an overall unit suck. If that's #2/3/4... better (provided it's an actual #1 and not just someone slightly better but more of the same). If that's #3/4/5, then probably strong group of pass catchers.

 

[Kdo5]

"I was very disappointed in myself and my play and everything, how the year went, so just giving myself the best opportunity to be the best I can be for the team," he said. "I didn't give the team my best effort, so personally, we all as players need to bring what we can -- be our best -- so that we can give the team the best opportunity to win. And I felt like I didn't do that. So, like I said, I've been grinding, trying to get bigger, weighing more, and just being a more solid receiver to be able to do more."

Bourne said he was disappointed in himself and was grinding trying to get bigger (that means he was not in top shape). But no matter what Bourne said, you have already decided his attitude was justified without even knowing the facts of the situation.

And you already decided he was a malcontent without knowing the facts of the situation. All we know is that he was stuck in the dog house, our best receiver, because he rightly called out the disaster of a coaching situation. To the extent that even Kraft was applying pressure to get him out of the dog house.

Have you considered that Bourne is simply a good teammate and unlike many in the organization has the maturity to be accountable, even if it wasn’t really his fault?

Have you considered that he still needed to kiss the ring and say he was in the wrong if he was going to get playing time in 2023?

 

[Wozzy]

Saying the weapons suck doesn't mean each individual player does. Henry/Bourne/Douglas all seem to be pretty good players worth having on the roster. But if those are our top 3 receiving threats then our weapons as an overall unit suck. If that's #2/3/4... better (provided it's an actual #1 and not just someone slightly better but more of the same). If that's #3/4/5, then probably strong group of pass catchers.

Bottom line is these players didn't suck... Mac sucked, and the offensive line fielded the most different starting five combinations in the NFL due to injury.

Fans here and other forums often say they understand that football is a team sport, but then they make foolish statements like "Mac only sucked because the weapons sucked" not realizing that the same doesn't hold true for Brady, Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert or any top tier QB in the NFL.

The ball travels in one direction, receivers can't throw to themselves, they're beholden to good scheme, good blocking and good QB play... weapons can't produce in a vacuum. Randy Moss on the Raiders in 2006 was washed up and old, on the Patriots in 2007 he posted the single greatest receiving season in history. It's a team sport.

 

[aluminum seats]

Not sure where you're getting that he struggles picking up offenses... he was pretty good in 2021 under McDaniels, and was having a good year before his injury under O'Brien. So he seems to struggle picking up offenses that are coordinated by defensive coaches, but that's hardly unique to him, eh?

Yep, trouble picking up offenses would not be accurate with Bourne

I think sometimes people just like making things up

 

[festy1986]

Bottom line is these players didn't suck... Mac sucked, and the offensive line fielded the most different starting five combinations in the NFL due to injury.

Fans here and other forums often say they understand that football is a team sport, but then they make foolish statements like "Mac only sucked because the weapons sucked" not realizing that the same doesn't hold true for Brady, Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert or any top tier QB in the NFL.

The ball travels in one direction, receivers can't throw to themselves, they're beholden to good scheme, good blocking and good QB play... weapons can't produce in a vacuum. Randy Moss on the Raiders in 2006 was washed up and old, on the Patriots in 2007 he posted the single greatest receiving season in history. It's a team sport.

So now that Mac is gone and the team doubled down on Henry and Bourne, this team should be in playoff contention?

The offensive line didn't suck it was just always hurt. So giving health they'll be fine?


Mac did suck. But so did everyone else except Henry.

 

[condon84]

I like it. He seems to care about being a Patriot, and when healthy and given a chance he produces.

He would be a great #3 WR.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

Parker yes, bet we’re stuck with the JuJu mistake one more year

Parker has a longer track record of ineffectiveness so he is safe to get rid of. Being forced to keep Juju may be a blessing in disguise if if his knee gets better the second year after surgery.

 

[DaBruinz]

Glad to have Bourne back..

 

[TheRainMaker]

So there was outrage when Schuster signed last season, but this is okay? Quite bizarre they rush into signing a WR coming off a torn ACL. For the Pats sake, I'm hoping they have an out after 2024 if his knee "blows out".

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

And you already decided he was a malcontent without knowing the facts of the situation. All we know is that he was stuck in the dog house, our best receiver, because he rightly called out the disaster of a coaching situation. To the extent that even Kraft was applying pressure to get him out of the dog house.

Have you considered that Bourne is simply a good teammate and unlike many in the organization has the maturity to be accountable, even if it wasn’t really his fault?

Have you considered that he still needed to kiss the ring and say he was in the wrong if he was going to get playing time in 2023?

Bourne said he was disappointed in himself, and I believe him. I appreciate his honesty but there is a potential attitude issue that has to be factored in. Bourne signed a contract where the Pats can get out of it in 2025 with a small cap hit, so I am supportive of the contract. I like Bourne too. It is really very simple. If Bourne does not recover well from his ACL tear or his attitude changes, than the Pats do not want to be locked in like the JJSS contract, and the Pats are not locked in. It is no more complicated than that. I am not interested in "what if" type of conspiracy theories.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

So there was outrage when Schuster signed last season, but this is okay? Quite bizarre they rush into signing a WR coming off a torn ACL. For the Pats sake, I'm hoping they have an out after 2024 if his knee "blows out".

Signing bonus is $4.2m which means only $2.8m dead cap hit if they need to release him after this season. Unless there are guarantees in the 2025 salary that they haven’t reported yet, which I’d be surprised about given the ACL situation.