PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 11: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the NFC Wild Card Playoff gam against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Arizona Cardinals have several positions that need quality bodies, and other rooms that, on the surface, appear to be good. Like tight end. Or cornerback. And maybe receiver?
Or, maybe not. The Cardinals’ receivers have two really good ones in Michael Wilson and Marv Harrison. But, after that? Everyone knows a good offense needs at least four good receivers in order to move the ball effectively.
RELATED: CARDINALS FREE AGENCY TRACKER
There are several receivers already under contract before free agency began: Xavier Weaver, Tejhaun Palmer, Andre Baccellia, Bryson Green, Jalen Brooks, along with Wilson and Harrison. Ihmir Smith-Marsette was signed to a reserve/future contract. Free agents include Greg Dortch, Simi Fehoko, and Zay Jones.
The issue here is that the roster is devoid of a capable slot guy plus a WR4. That was filled by both Dortch and Jones, who may or may not return, but both can currently be signed by any club.
Kendrick Bourne is signing a 2-Year, $12M deal with the Cardinals, per
@Schultz_Report
Arizona continues to build their offense out today
pic.twitter.com/UNLJreZhk4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron)
March 9, 2026
Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort signed a receiver from the San Francisco 49ers that should fill one of these two positions of need: Kendrick Bourne. San Fran signed Mike Evans, so Bourne would have been the odd man out.
Know anything about Bourne? Can he provide a spark to this new offense?
Beginnings
Bourne, age 30, grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, which sits along the Willamette River that leads north to Portland. He is of Samoan descent.
He went to Benson Tech in Portland and got in trouble often. Bourne went through a lot of things, like stealing stuff and getting caught, just being in trouble, being suspended, and skipping school. Of course, all of this meant his grades weren’t good.
Until his senior year. That’s when he transferred to Milwaukie Academy of the Arts in Milwaukie. An assistant coach named Don Johnson helped Bourne with his issues and provided him with mentorship. Coach Johnson gave him direction, and suddenly his grades began to improve as the football season progressed. Johnson showed Bourne that he had a path in college on the football field, but they didn’t accept dummies.
The work in the field didn’t matter if the work in the classroom isn’t on a parallel. Suddenly, Bourne had options.
He played basketball and was a receiver and safety on the football team. He had 54 receptions for 1,292 yards, a 23.9 yards per catch average, and 18 touchdowns. Bourne also had 14 carries for 100 yards with another score. In all, he had six 100-yard receiving games.
His basketball team was the State 5A runners-up in Oregon in the 2011-12 season.
As a senior, he was named First Team All-Northwest Oregon Conference at receiver and Second Team All-Northwest Oregon Conference at safety.
At season’s end, he was invited to play in the annual Les Schwab All-Star football game, plus the Polynesian All-American Bowl in La Mirada, California.
Bourne’s coaches were expecting some of the bigger schools to notice him, such as Oregon, Washington, and Oregon State. But those schools red-flagged him because of all the trouble he got into while at Benson Tech. In the technology age, stuff follows you.
Instead, he had full-ride scholarship offers from Portland State, Eastern Washington, Montana, and Idaho. Bourne chose Eastern Washington, located in Cheney, Washington, just southwest of Spokane along I-90.
Instead of being redshirted, Eastern Washington played him right off as a backup receiver and had just seven catches all year. That changed the following season as he played in all 14 games with nine starts. Bourne had 52 catches for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference.
His junior year is when it all started coming together. His teammate was WR Cooper Kupp. He was getting a name for himself for being able to snag bad balls and make circus catches. Bourne was labeled a “third-down and Red Zone specialist.”
Bourne had 73 receptions for 998 yards, a 13.7-yard average per catch, and scored eight TDs. He was now ranked in FCS receiving yards, finishing at #15. He scored on a 98-yard passing play, and his final snap of the season was a 63-yard touchdown run against Portland State. He earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors.
As a senior, Bourne had a good year catching 79 balls with 13 starts and gaining 1,201 yards while scoring seven times. In the process, Bourne ended his career with a 39-game streak of catching at least one pass. He was selected Second Team All-Big Sky Conference and voted to the Hero Sports All-America Third Team.
His pre-draft measurables were as follows: 40 – 4.55; vertical jump – 36.0”; broad jump – 10’-5”; bench press lifting 225 pounds – 10 reps; wingspan – 6’-4 5/9”; hand span – 9 1/8”; arm length – 32.5”.
All he needed now was to be drafted into the NFL.
On to the NFL
Bourne (6’-1”, 205 pounds) had a pre-draft grade of a Day 3 pick. Instead, the draft came and went, and he was now an undrafted rookie free agent. His agent’s phone lit up with calls from numerous clubs wanting to sign him for the rookie mini-camp. It was a circus of calls wanting his services, even though those same teams that were foaming at the mouth to get him passed on him at least seven times.
It is unheard of for a team to offer an undrafted rookie a long-term deal, much less a good contract with money up front. But the 49ers inked him to a three-year, $1.67 million deal with a signing bonus of $5,000 and $25,000 guaranteed. Great googly moogly.
He had a great camp and made the final roster listed on the depth chart as WR5. At the time, the lead receivers were Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon. Needless to say, rookie receivers listed at the bottom of the depth chart don’t get a lot of offensive snaps. No starts, 16 receptions for 257 yards.
For the next three seasons, Bourne got playing time, but his production numbers were just so-so. He signed a one-year extension in 2020 and did have 667 yards that year. He also scored 11 touchdowns, which is accumulated for all four years in San Fran. Nothing noticeable, but getting bi-weekly checks to play pro football.
The following season, he went into free agency and inked a three-year deal worth $15 million with the New England Patriots. He had 70 targets and caught 55 balls for a career-high 800 yards with five touchdowns, a 14.5 yards per reception average, and 32 first down conversions.
His 2022 training camp wasn’t the best. After balling out the year before, the 49ers’ coaching staff was expecting more out of him going into his second year with the Pats. He began Week 1 as WR3 with Mac Jones at QB and Jakobi Meyers and DeVante Parker as starting receivers.
.
@JimmyG_10 goes 4-for-5 on the
@49ers opening drive with a touchdown pass to @BournePoly11 and we’re knotted up 7-7!
#GoNiners #SFvsNO
: FOX
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile:
https://t.co/D5AfU98qAh pic.twitter.com/xZq17teHq7
— NFL (@NFL)
December 8, 2019
Bourne finished the 2023 season with 37 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns in eight games and five starts. Despite just average numbers, he signed an extension for a three-year, $33 million contract. He suffered a foot injury in training camp and began the season on the PUP list. Right before the Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins, he was activated and played the remainder of the season. He finished with nine starts in 12 games, 38 targets, 28 catches for 305 yards and one TD.
Last year, Bourne had an average training camp that was not helped by a foot sprain that he attempted to play through. He was asked to take a pay cut in which he was in the second year of his contract, making $11 million a year. He refused. Then, New England tried to trade him, but no takers. Finally, he made the final roster at the conclusion of training camp.
He then asked to be released because he explained he felt “devalued”, which the Patriots surprisingly granted. New England had plenty of receiver help, so they just continued about their day.
Bourne explained his rationale to Aaliyan Mohammed of
New England Sports Network:
“Before I got released, that’s when all the conversations were happening between my agent and the front office about the pay cut. That’s what ultimately led to me being released and us asking for a release. I couldn’t let myself be devalued to a vet minimum because once they get you there, they kinda got you there. That’s where it got tricky. It was my agent’s and my decision to ask for my release.”
He was then signed by the 49ers for a second stint. Bourne’s new contract was a one-year deal for $5 million. So, he voided a year of pay for $6 million less, times two. Go figure. Plus, he missed out on several playoff checks and a Super Bowl experience.
His 2025 stats? 16 games played with eight starts, 53 targets, 37 receptions, 551 yards, a 14.9 yards per catch average, zero touchdowns, 27 first down conversions, 165 YAC, and 594 offensive snaps (57%).
The 49ers ended up 12-5 and qualified for the postseason. Bourne played in the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, but did not register any stats.
Kendrick Bourne responded and told Kittle not to put the hit out on him since he joined a division rival
https://t.co/T0XbUBs40Q pic.twitter.com/PfnEb6XevY
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers)
March 10, 2026
Bourne has always been involved in community efforts. While with the Niners, he helped with ServiceNow in a program that provided laptop computers to assist around 20 students who were college-bound.
It turns out, Kendrick Bourne was not lying
https://t.co/XgCB4QZOav pic.twitter.com/Z0HLL3W64b
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)
December 29, 2025
Bourne married his wife, Kendrick, in 2023 with one child.
And now Bourne remains in the division with the Cardinals. He’s a mid-level guy with a high-priced wife. Though Bourne doesn’t possess high-end speed, he runs good routes and has a knack for making catches on important downs. He’s tough, he’s a good teammate, and he does well when he gets the looks.
He has the opportunity to become a big piece of this new offense. He is experienced, but he is never going to look better than the two guys at the top of the depth chart. He can provide good service in the slot and produce. But he will never become the “main guy.” He has been in this West Coast offense and is a good fit for Arizona.
His Instagram is @bournepoly11, his TikTok account is @bournepoly84, and X is @KendrickBourne_.
