The New England Patriots have to deal with a few roster-building questions to begin their first offseason in the post-Bill Belichick era. With new head coach Jerod Mayo in town, the Patriots will want to give him the best squad possible to prove that they made the right decision to part ways with one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. To that end, it looks like the Patriots are looking to keep one of their most-utilized wide receivers, Kendrick Bourne, who is currently a free agent.

Keeping Bourne, however, doesn't seem like it would be an easy task for the Patriots. Nonetheless, New England is doing its best to convince him to stay. According to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, the Patriots have already tendered a contract offer towards the 28-year old wide receiver.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract the Patriots offered Kendrick Bourne after Bourne's 2023 season ended early. (Analysts believe he can command a contract worth around $7 million per year.) As one would recall, Bourne was able to suit up in just eight games (five starts) after he suffered a torn ACL in late October during a heated contest against division rival Miami Dolphins.

Before Bourne went down, he was one of the Patriots' featured weapons on offense; despite playing in less than half the season, he still finished fourth on the team in targets, with 55. During that time, he tallied four receiving touchdowns and 406 yards, so for a cut-rate price (due to injury), he could be a solid addition for any team, which is why New England appears to be intent to bring him back.

According to the rumor mill, if the Patriots aren't able to bring back Kendrick Bourne, they are likely to lose him to a division rival. As Callahan pointed out, the New York Jets have expressed interest in Bourne over the past 18 months. Moreover, the Bills were also reportedly interested in the 28-year old wideout when he was a free agent three years ago.

At present, the Patriots have JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, and Keyshon Boutte under contract as main options at wide receiver.