Earlier this season, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was on fire. He has cooled off drastically since then, and if his disappearing act continues, he may lose out on a big chunk of change.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted in a recent article that Bourne needs 18 more receiving yards to reach 500 on the season, which would earn him a $500,000 bonus in his contract. That seemed like a given a few weeks ago, but Bourne has essentially been a non-factor on offense since the return of quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy's return is not the only factor that has limited Bourne's opportunities as of late. When Bourne was at his hottest in Weeks 5 and 6 and had consecutive games with 142 receiving yards, San Francisco's offense was reeling as it was without tight end George Kittle, and both Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were also dealing with injuries.
Bourne stepped up in a big way, thanks in part to his familiarity with Kyle Shanahan's offense, since the 49ers are the team he broke into the the NFL with as an undrafted free agent. The receiver's chemistry with quarterback Mac Jones, established when the two were together with the New England Patriots, also played a massive role as Jones was clearly comfortable throwing to him.
The 49ers still have four more games this season, so it stands to reason that Bourne will reach that 500-yard mark. If he really goes off, he could reach 600 receiving yards, which would earn Bourne a $750,000 bonus.
Even though Jennings and Pearsall are firmly established as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers on the depth chart, Bourne should still get some action. He got a target against the Cleveland Browns, so Purdy is willing to throw to him, but QB1 obviously has more rapport with guys like Jennings, Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey.
The bigger question may be when Pearsall can step up for the Niners. He is still getting back to speed after returning from his knee injury, but if he can get back to a place where he can make explosive plays down the field, then that could truly transform San Francisco's offense.
Plus, Bourne will be thankful that Brandon Aiyuk seems highly unlikely to return and provide another impediment to him getting targets. The situation between Aiyuk and San Francisco seems untenable so a divorce is all but certain.
Bourne should still be able to reach that 500-yard mark, but he has to be feeling a little less certain about it after a few weeks of being mostly a non-factor.