New England Patriots’ Josh McDaniels Likens Kendrick Bourne To ‘A Light Switch That Never Goes Out’

When Kendrick Bourne agreed to terms with the New England Patriots last March, the former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver packed electricity with him.

Power surges 20, 20, 22, 23, 31, 41, 46, 46, 48 and 75 yards have followed with the football in his hands from September into January.

Patriots coordinator Josh McDaniels can see the difference it’s made on the offensive grid.

“All our guys that we didn’t have last year that we brought here I think have all added a new element in some way, shape or form,” McDaniels told reporters during his video conference on Tuesday. “The thing that stands out for me about Kendrick is when he gets the ball it’s almost like he plays at a different speed. I’ve had some players play like that in the past, but when he gets it, he’s definitely looking to go vertical and try to get into the end zone or certainly make as many yards as he can.”

In December, after tying his career high with five touchdowns, Bourne credited Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s practice drills for helping him develop an extra gear as a ball-carrier. The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington has since set additional highs in receptions and receiving yards.

While throwing in a touchdown pass, Bourne has also handled the initial 11 rushing attempts of his NFL tenure and turned them into 117 yards.

“He runs with an aggressive style and kind of a recklessness that you love to see in a player as long as he takes care of the ball,” McDaniels said. “That’s something he’s done better and better as the year has gone on, but he definitely is a guy that can make yards with the ball in his hands. He’s not the only one, but he certainly has impacted our team in our games in that way this year. As many times as you can get it to him and let him have some space to work, those usually end up as positive plays for the Patriots.”

Bourne, 26, signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Patriots that included $5.25 million in guarantees and $750,000 in annual per-game roster bonuses.

But also statistical thresholds.

Late last month against the Buffalo Bills, following a stint on the Covid-19 reserve list, he earned a $250,000 incentive by reaching 700 receiving yards. And last weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he earned an additional $250,000 incentive by reaching 50 receptions. As outlined by Miguel Benzan of PatsCap, a combined $500,000 could be hit with eight more receptions and 24 more receiving yards.

Standing ahead is next Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET season finale at Hard Rock Stadium versus the Miami Dolphins. For now, Bourne stands with 52 receptions for 776 receiving yards, which both rank behind only fellow wideout Jakobi Meyers on the offense.

“He’s definitely been fun to work with,” added McDaniels. “He obviously has a tremendous amount of energy — and that’s all the time. He’s like a light switch that never goes out. It’s fun to be around him, fun to coach him, fun to be around him in walkthroughs, in meetings, in practices and games. You always feel like he’s ready to help the team win. As many of those guys you can have, the better.”