There are a lot of people surprised that the Green Bay Packers didn’t make a move ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline. Desperate for some wide receiver help, Green Bay once again opted to stay pat and hope that the coaching staff can turn things around. Another team that was very active at the trade deadline was the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams apparently pursued the same player from the New England Patriots.
This has been a troubling theme for the Packers, who have failed Aaron Rodgers when it comes to putting weapons around him. Souring the relationship and then trading away Davante Adams has been a disaster and they have done very little to try and rectify the issue.
Alas, this time, it doesn’t sound like striking out was from a lack of trying. The front office made some calls, one of which was to the New England Patriots. The Packers were inquiring about the availability of Kendrick Bourne, who has been a bit of an afterthought for the Patriots this season.
The Packers weren’t the only team to call the Patriots about Bourne as his former team, the San Francisco 49ers also inquired about his availability. Alas, New England didn’t have any interest in trading him as they wanted to keep him on the team.
Bourne hasn’t received nearly as many chances this season to produce as he did last season, his first in New England. Through seven games he has been targeted 15 times, catching 11 passes for 156 yards and zero touchdowns. Last season, he was excellent while playing in all 17 games, catching 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns.
The Packers’ interest in him should come as no surprise as they are in dire need of some established, veteran talent at the wide receiver position. Bourne would have been a solid addition to their depth, helping overcome injuries to Randall Cobb and Christian Watson.
The 49ers are going all-in on contending this season. They pulled off the blockbuster for running back Christian McCaffrey and were looking to further upgrade their wide receiver depth with Bourne.
Their interest in him isn’t surprising, as he knows the system from playing the first four years of his career in the Bay Area. That could also be a sign that the team has some worries about the health of Deebo Samuel as they wanted to shore up the wide receiver depth behind him just in case.
