49ers' Pursuit of Kendrick Bourne is Bad News for this Wide Receiver

The 49ers might bring back a familiar face to their wide receiver room in a few days.

Kendrick Bourne, who just got released by the Patriots on Wednesday, is scheduled to visit the 49ers on Monday, and the framework of a potential contract is in place already, according to The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. If Bourne makes it out of the building without a signed deal, he is scheduled to meet with the Commanders on Tuesday.

On Thursday, John Lynch went on KNBR 680 in San Francisco and discussed their interest in Bourne.

“Any time a really good football player who we had ties to -- you know, Kendrick started his career here -- becomes available, there’s obviously going to be discussions. We’re trying to evaluate the pertinent information.”

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers probably won't offer Bourne much -- they've been notoriously cheap when it comes to signing outside free agents this offseason. But they're also desperate to add a starting wide receiver for Week 1.

That's because Brandon Aiyuk is on the PUP List, Demarcus Robinson is suspended, Jacob Cowing is on IR, Jordan Watkins has a high-ankle sprain, and Jauan Jennings is holding out for a pricey contract extension that the 49ers don't want to give him.

Jennings and his agent probably think they have leverage over the 49ers, because they currently don't have two starting wide receivers for Week 1. They have Ricky Pearsall. Behind him, they have Russell Gage and Skyy Moore. The 49ers can't go into the season opener with one of those two starting opposite Pearsall. They know it, and Jennings knows it.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15). — San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

That's why the 49ers want Bourne. He's not quite as good as Jennings, but he plays the same position (X-receiver), and he knows the 49ers offensive system because he played the first four seasons of his career here under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

And Bourne is much cheaper than Jennings, who seems to want to be paid like one of the top receivers in the league. At this point, the relationship between him and the team seems broken beyond repair.

The 49ers want Jennings to play out the final year of his contract, and clearly are nervous that he'll sit out Week 1 to prove a point and show how essential he is to the team. So instead of caving to Jennings' demands out of sheer desperation, the 49ers are trying to sign Bourne, the cheap alternative.

If the 49ers indeed Sign Bourn on Monday, don't be surprised if they trade Jennings the same day. They won't need his skill set or his surly attitude around the team anymore.

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