Older incumbent players and a new regime don't always mix well. It's also safe to say the New England Patriots would like to keep upgrading the weapons around quarterback Drake Maye, and to that end using notable draft capital on a wide receiver is possible.
Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will turn 30 years old before the 2025 season starts. A torn ACL in 2023 also limited him to 20 games over the last two years, and he has not topped 500 yards in a season since 2021, his first season in New England. So it's not hard to imagine the Patriots could trade him. If they can find a suitor, though, it'd probably be after the draft now.
On a recent episode of "The Krueg Show", host Larry Krueger of KNBR radio asked Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area if the San Francisco 49ers might consider parting with draft picks for veteran players rather than go into training camp trying to contend "with 15 rookies."
“I think they do. In fact, I think they will", Maiocco said. "I don’t know when it might happen, if it’s going to happen after the draft or during it, but I do think the 49ers are very interested in acquiring a veteran player or two through a trade… From the tea leaves I was reading at the NFL annual meeting in Florida, that is very much in play.”
In light of an expected suspension for free-agent signing Demarcus Robinson, Maiocco mentioned wide receiver as a potential spot for the 49ers to fill with a trade for a veteran. Defensive line would also be an easy area to seek an experienced addition or two.
“The #49ers are very much in play to trade for a vet after the draft.” - @MaioccoNBCS
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) April 20, 2025
Depending on how the Draft goes, rumors around the NFL is the Niners will be aggressive in trading for a vet player
Potential Targets:
WR Kendrick Bourne
DE AJ Epenesa
DT Harrison Phillips pic.twitter.com/r63eQscA2b
Reunion with Kendrick Bourne could make a lot of sense for the 49ers
Sterling Xie of Pro Football Network recently outlined one veteran player each NFL team could trade. For the Patriots the choice was Bourne, with the 49ers named the top potential fit for him:
'The 49ers might need some early-season receiver depth depending on Brandon Aiyuk’s recovery timeline, and Bourne would serve as an insurance policy in case Ricky Pearsall isn’t ready for a larger role."
Bourne was signed by the Niners as an undrafted rookie in 2017, the first year of the John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan regime. He topped 40 catches twice in his four seasons in San Francisco, with a high of 667 yards in 2020. He was sort of a sneaky downspout red-zone guy, with nine touchdowns over 72 catches during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He signed with the Patriots as a free agent in 2021 and has been there since.
With Deebo Samuel gone, Aiyuk's status for the start of the season in question and Robinson headed for a suspension, the 49ers need some wide receiver help around the expected emergence of Ricky Pearsall.
Bourne is a not a huge needle-mover in that regard, but he is available (presumably), relatively inexpensive and familiar, which is enough to put him on the radar as the Niners' cost-cutting offseason rolls on.