Kendrick Bourne played himself out of a new contract with SF 49ers

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne had a career year in 2020, meaning the SF 49ers probably won’t have the resources to re-sign him.

The SF 49ers are beginning to figure out why players having career years ahead of hitting NFL free agency can be detrimental to the team’s long-term roster plans.

Such is the case for four-year wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who quietly has been one of the Niners’ most consistent and durable pass-catchers since joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington in 2017.

Bourne is neither flashy, speedy nor dominant. But he’s been a good weapon for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense during that span. In 2018 and 2019, Bourne was a red-zone weapon and key specialist on third downs. That trend continued somewhat in 2020, too, with Bourne recording 12 third-down catches for a first down on 15 targets.

Not bad for a player who was on the fringes of making the 53-man roster his rookie season.

At the conclusion of the 2020 regular season, Bourne’s 667 receiving yards put him second highest on the team behind No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (748) for the team lead.

Again, not bad. And when one considers he’s made noticeable contributions over each of his four years at the pro level, it’s safe to say San Francisco has gotten a good return on such a modest investment.

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 1/3/2021.

In this case, Bourne’s uptick in play and performance over 2020 could mean he’s out of a job with the SF 49ers next season.

SF 49ers will be hard-pressed to re-sign Kendrick Bourne

Bourne will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

“I for sure want to be here,” Bourne told reporters after the Niners’ Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. “I love this organization. I want to be back.”

On the surface, it makes sense for San Francisco to want him back, too. After all, fellow wideouts like Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were unable to make it through the entirety of the season without avoiding multiple games due to the injury bug. Yet the SF 49ers are clearly more invested in both Aiyuk and Samuel as their one-two punch at the position in future seasons.

That alone relegates Bourne to a less-important supplementary depth role.

Additionally, Over the Cap has the Niners already committing nearly $158 million in player salaries to the 2021 roster against what’s likely to be approximately a $176 million salary cap. With 39 other free agents of one kind or another, San Francisco won’t have an easy time meeting Bourne’s asking price if it gets above the modest $3.259 million he made as a retained restricted free agent this season.

And considering Bourne’s career year, there’s likely to be a decent market for his services among teams looking for some wide receiver help and with better cap situations than the SF 49ers.

What also likely thwarts the Niners’ idea of re-signing Bourne in NFL free agency this offseason is twofold, too. For starters, slot receiver Richie James is still under contract and flashed moments as an offensive playmaker when given chances. On top of that, the 2021 NFL Draft is projected to be just as deep at wide receiver as the 2020 class was when San Francisco nabbed Aiyuk.

It might be wiser, both from a financial and impact standpoint, for the SF 49ers to go that route instead of trying to retain Bourne.

At any rate, assuming Bourne has seen his last days in a Niners uniform, one can at least comfortably state they got more than anything initially anticipated out of him when the Eastern Washington product signed as an undrafted free agent a little less than four years ago.