Kendrick Bourne had a few resources in San Francisco who could give him some intel about the Patriots.
Bourne signed with New England as a free agent after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the 49ers. Upon joining the Patriots, Bourne sought out Niners wide receivers coach Wes Welker and quarterback Jimmy Garopplo — who combined have nearly a decade of experience in Foxboro — to provide him with some insight about his new team.
As Bourne explained to reporters Monday during his introductory video conference with the Patriots, Garoppolo had nothing but positive things to say about his time in New England.
“Jimmy, cool guy, man. Had a great relationship with him,” Bourne said, per The Mercury News. “He said his experience in New England was awesome. He didn’t really expect the trade to happen or anything like that, but said his experience there was awesome, learned a lot, developed as a player better, as a man, and I’m just excited.”
Welker and Garoppolo might have helped Bourne shed his prior conception of the Patriots organization. The wide receiver admitted he previously thought Bill Belichick and Co. were “too serious,” though that quickly proved to be a misconception upon Bourne’s first visit to Gillette Stadium.
Bourne now appears to be all-in. He believes New England is in store for a bounce-back season in 2021 and also is confident Cam Newton will “ball out” in the upcoming campaign. Bourne and Newton are among the Patriots offensive players who have been taking part in player-led workouts in California this week.
As for Garoppolo, the Patriots reportedly still are “sniffing out” a potential trade for Tom Brady’s former backup.
