Report: Bourne leaves 49ers, joins Patriots on $22.5M deal

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The 49ers have lost their first free agent.

Receiver Kendrick Bourne and the Patriots have agreed to a three-year contract worth $22.5 million, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Monday, citing a source.

Bourne was the 49ers' second-leading receiver in 2020, so losing him is a big blow to coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

In 15 games last season, Bourne caught 49 passes for 667 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Through the early part of the NFL's legal free agency tampering period, the 49ers were having a good day, having agreed to terms to retain fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerback Jason Verrett, and agreeing to two-year, $12 million contract with edge rusher Samson Ebukam.

Last week, Bourne and his Bourne Blessed Foundation teamed up with ServiceNow to provide Mac laptops to 20 college-bound members of the OK Program on Thursday at West Oakland Youth Center. During the event, the 25-year-old spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco about his impending free agency.

“I definitely want to be back [with the 49ers]," Bourne told Maiocco. "But I’m hoping for new options. So I’m excited to see what happens, see what the money looks like. We’ll see. That’s going to speak volumes.”

Clearly, the 49ers were not able to compete with the Patriots' offer. New England has been busy revamping their roster all day, including reportedly agreeing to terms for former Raiders wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

RELATED: 49ers banking on Ebukam's versatility

With Bourne on the way out, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk return as the leading receivers for the 49ers, with All-Pro George Kittle leading the tight ends group.

It's possible that general manager John Lynch makes a move in free agency or in April's NFL draft to replace Bourne.

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