The San Francisco 49ers keep working to surround Brock Purdy with the best weapons possible. Now, the club has revealed their pursuit of a free-agent wide receiver to strengthen the quarterback’s offense.
On Wednesday, the New England Patriots released Kendrick Bourne. Just hours later, reports linked both the Vikings and the 49ers to the veteran wideout.
However, it appears San Francisco is giving serious thought to bringing him back. General Manager John Lynch confirmed that Bourne’s name has been discussed internally since his release.
John Lynch gets real on 49ers’ interest in Kendrick Bourne
The 49ers have not had great luck with injuries in recent years. Last season, the backfield suffered; this year, it’s the wide receiver room.
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Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are both dealing with injuries that threaten their availability for Week 1. For that reason, the club may turn to Bourne for the 2025 NFL season to help Brock Purdy.
Bourne began his career with the 49ers in 2017. After four years in San Francisco, he signed with the Patriots, where he played another four seasons before being cut this offseason.
Following his release, he was immediately linked back to the 49ers. Now, John Lynch has acknowledged that the front office views him as a legitimate option for 2025.
Kendrick Bourne started his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers
“No new news,” GM John Lynch said. “Anytime a really good football player who we had ties to — Kendrick started his career here — becomes available, there’s obviously going to be discussions. We’re trying to evaluate the pertinent information. Kendrick has been hurt in training camp, so trying to see where he’s exactly at. Having conversations. We’ll let that play out, we’ll continue to look into it”
A reshaped wide receiver group
After Deebo Samuel’s departure to the Washington Commanders, San Francisco began reshaping its wide receiver corps. Aiyuk remains the WR1, but his Week 1 status is uncertain.
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On Wednesday, the 49ers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Still, Bourne could add even more depth to a unit that has been hit hard by injuries.
