The New England Patriots added free-agent veteran receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason to help young quarterback Drake Maye.
New England knew they needed to add a star receiver to the roster to ensure that May gets help in his second season, and Diggs was a good choice.
Diggs helped Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and now he will try to do the same with Maye.
Since Diggs is now added to the roster, that could leave other receivers on the team looking for a new home this fall, and Alex Kay from Bleacher Report thinks New England could part ways with Kendrick Bourne.
"Bourne sticks out as the most likely cut candidate amongst the receivers currently occupying the roster's fringes," Kay wrote. "Despite spending half of his eight-year NFL career with the Patriots, his contributions have been relatively limited. The wideout has yet to improve upon the 55-catch, 800-yard, five-touchdown stat line he posted in his first season in Foxboro, regressing to contribute a meager 305 yards and one score on 28 catches in 2024—Bourne's lowest marks since his rookie campaign. With Bourne soon turning 30 and due to make $5.5 million in base salary, New England can part ways with the aging veteran in exchange for $6.3 million in cap relief and a paltry $1.4 million dead cap hit."
Bourne is in the second season of his three-year, $19 million contract, and if the team were to cut him, they would carry a dead cap hit of $7 million for the next two seasons.
If the Patriots do cut Bourne, he will most likely be picked up by another team right away, as he still has some game left in him and could help a few teams reach the playoffs.
