The New England Patriots front office has begun to work on rebuilding the coaching staff, and the locker room is beginning to recruit new talent.
New England wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, a four-year veteran of the team, reached out on social media to a potential Patriots offseason target: Cooper Kupp. Bourne sent a public message to the 31-year-old as New England embarks on another critical offseason, following the team’s disastrous 4-13 finish to last place in the AFC East – the second straight to come in Foxboro. .
“Come to NE Cooper Kupp,” Bourne posted Tuesday on X. “We’ll take care of you lol all the targets!”
Bourne and Kupp have history. They were both teammates at Eastern Washington University from 2013 to 2016 before going on different career paths. Kupp was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, while Bourne went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. Now, eight years later, Bourne feels like enough time has passed and the duo should reunite.
Kupp has two years remaining on his three-year, $80 million contract with the Rams, leaving open the possibility of a release from Los Angeles. This could give the Patriots a chance to sign Kupp and provide a proven veteran receiver for franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
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This is wishful thinking on Bourne’s part, but it’s not a far-fetched possibility.
Kupp isn’t sure what the future holds for Los Angeles as the team suffered a playoff elimination at the hands of Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round this past Sunday.
“I feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” Kupp told reporters, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “I will play football next year. This is what I know.
Kupp continued: “Who knows what will happen? It’s out of my control. And we’ll see what it’s going to be.
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Kupp totaled 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 12 regular season appearances with the Rams last season. He missed four games after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 and was sidelined during Los Angeles’ Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. So while it didn’t match the best we’ve seen in Kupp’s career, the campaign wasn’t a complete dud either.
The Patriots could trade for Kupp, and given the declining state of the Rams, it might not take much to bring him to New England.
