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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has agreed on a three-year deal to return to the New England Patriots that could be worth up to $33 million, his agent, Henry Organ of Disruptive Sports, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.
The contract includes a signing bonus of $4.2 million, a source told ESPN.
Bourne, who turns 29 on Aug. 4, is recovering from a torn right ACL sustained in a loss to the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 29.
He was on his way to a career year before the injury, having totaled 37 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Bourne enters his eighth NFL season, having spent the first four years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and the past three in New England.
After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington in 2017, Bourne has played in 99 regular-season games and totaled 264 receptions for 3,409 yards with 21 touchdowns.
In February, Bourne told ESPN: “I want to come back home. That is a goal of mine. I love being a Patriot — it’s a great environment for a person like me. Being a Patriot helped me grow into the player I am today, I’m thankful for the organization.
“These last two years were rebuilding, so I don’t want to miss the time when you may be coming back, the good wave. It was rough but you never know where it could go. I feel like something good is coming in that building and I want to be part of it.”
The Patriots entered free agency with nearly $100 million in salary cap space and a goal of re-signing some of their key players, including Bourne. They previously re-signed tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year deal worth up to $30 million.
