Kendrick Bourne’s return to the 49ers was mostly a matter of formality once the team placed a second-round tender on the restricted free agent. He officially signed that one-year tender on Monday.
To sign the 24-year-old, a team would’ve had to give a second-round pick to San Francisco. Bourne is a fine player, but that’s a steep asking price that indicates how much the 49ers wanted to ensure the receiver was back in Santa Clara next season.
The second-round tender will earn Bourne $3.259 million in 2020 according to Over the Cap. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he doesn’t agree to a long-term deal with the 49ers before then.
Bourne signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and quickly made a mark. He played in 11 games his rookie year with 16 catches for 257 yards, then followed that up with 42 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns in Year 2. The 487 yards were a team-high for wide receivers in the 2018 season.
His production didn’t climb much in 2019, but he was among the team’s most impactful receivers thanks to his nose for first downs and the end zone. He caught 30 passes last season, 23 of which went for first downs or touchdowns. That continued into the postseason where five of his six catches went for first downs or touchdowns.
With so much unproven talent on the roster, and a potentially truncated offseason, Bourne’s value could reach a new peak in 2020. He has a good rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and could straddle the WR2 and WR3 line depending on how the rest of the talent develops in the receiving corps.
While the 49ers surely would’ve taken a second-round pick for a team to sign Bourne, his return will be equally welcome for a club that needs as much reliability at receiver as possible.
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