Bourne Identity: Should Jets Target Patriots Receiver in Free Agency?
In the immortal words of “The Godfather’s” Michael Corleone, the New York Jets’ front office might want to “keep their friends close, but their enemies closer” when pursuing some help for their offense.
With a clear need at the offensive skill positions, the Jets may be wise to poach one of their heated rivals’ top scoring weapons to complement alpha receiver Garrett Wilson: New England Patriots receiver.
While the thought of Bourne donning a green jersey this season may be met with lukewarm reaction from Jets fans — not to mention, blasphemous in Foxboro, Mass. — the idea has a degree of merit.
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Prior to his suffering a season-ending torn ACL on the first play of the fourth quarter of New England’s Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Bourne had been the team’s top receiver, He earned 37 catches for 406 yards with four touchdowns in eight games. In spite of his productivity, Bourne had been entrenched in trade rumors, given both his value and the fact that he was playing in the final year of the three-year contract which he signed with New England in 2021. The Patriots were ultimately forced to place the 28-year-old on season-ending injured reserve, in the wake of his injury.
From a Jets perspective, the desire to enlist Bourne’s services would be understandable. The team's pass-catchers struggled due to poor quarterback play and ineffective talent management. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked them 31 of 32 NFL teams. Wilson, the exception to the rule, caught 95 passes for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Jets failed to receive notable contributions from the remaining components of their positional depth chart — most notably Allen Lazard, who despite signing a four-year, $44 million deal with New York last offseason, logged only 23 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown.
Though the Jets need at receiver may be primarily along the perimeter, Bourne’s versatility has allowed him to wear multiple hats within the team’s offense. Throughout his three seasons in New England, the Eastern Washington product has compiled 1,640 yards on 127 catches — 10 of which have gone for touchdowns. While his technical prowess allows him to win from either alignment, he has looked most comfortable in the Z-receiver role, while occasionally assisting in the slot. However, Bourne has also been called upon to line up at the ‘X’ at times, with a respectable level of success. Lastly, Bourne has been known to carry the ball out of the backfield on occasion; both on the jet sweep and on designed runs. As such, he may become a reliable target for Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, when healthy.
With New York projected to have approximately $4.9 million in available cap space at the start of the NFL year in March — the Jets could feasibly work out a reasonable deal for both sides without overly stressing their future finances.
Conversely, Rodgers will turn his attention to the upcoming season — his second with the Jets. The 40-year-old was traded to New York last offseason. However, he suffered a ruptured Achilles on just his fourth offensive snap of the season. Though he missed the nearly the entirety of his first year in New York, Rodgers is hopeful to be ready for the start of training camp in June.
Given that Rodgers is known for his preference for versatile, reliable receivers, a union with Bourne in East Rutherford has the chance to be beneficial for both sides.
