New England Patriots

Free-agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) had positive news for reporters when asked how his recovery from a torn ACL is going. Bourne mentioned that he should be able to get some work in this spring and that he should be "full-go" once training camp kicks off. "My plan is to play game 1," he told reporters. Bourne was on his way to a career year for the New England Patriots in 2023 before tearing his ACL in Week 8, catching 37 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns through eight games. The Patriots have reportedly already offered Bourne a new contract, according to the Boston Herald, although he may wait to see what he can fetch when NFL free agency opens on March 13.

Five of six NFL executives polled when asked who they think the Washington Commanders will take with the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft chose LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels over North Carolina QB Drake Maye, but the one holdout for Maye said he heard that Commanders general manager Adam Peters was "really into" Maye. Incumbent Sam Howell and Maye were teammates at North Carolina, and Howell could open 2024 as the starter if the Commanders wanted to give Maye more time to iron out his mechanics. If Washington passes on Maye and goes with Daniels, there's a good chance Maye would be selected third overall by the New England Patriots, assuming they don't trade back. The biggest knock on Maye heading into this year's draft are his mechanical issues concerning his footwork.

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who is one of the top QBs available in this year's draft, has flashed exceptional creativity and aggressiveness as a downfield passer while also exhibiting the ability to create outside of structure. But his production took a hit in 2023 while his footwork and decision-making got sloppy as the season wore on. Maye attacks the middle of the field with anticipation and aggressively hunts for deep opportunities. The Athletic's Ted Nguyen compares him to Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud when discussing his creativity in the pocket and the way he manipulates defenses. Maye could need a year to hone is on his fundamentals and to clean up his foot work, but Nguyen believes the young QB has the skill set to take off as early as his sophomore season. It's why he could come off the board as early as No. 2 overall to the Commanders in April's draft.

The New England Patriots have "real" interest in Washington Commanders impending free-agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The Patriots are expected to have competition for him if they sign him, but offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt loved coaching Brissett with the Cleveland Browns in 2022, and the Patriots view the veteran signal-caller as a great locker-room guy who is all about football. In addition to adding a veteran QB like Brissett, the Pats are expected to take a rookie QB with the third overall pick in this year's draft. The 31-year-old was also a third-round pick by the Pats in 2016. He appeared in 16 games (11 starts) in 2022 with Cleveland and threw for 2,608 yards, 12 TDs and six interceptions while completing 64% of his passes. At best, Brissett would be a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues if he's signed by New England and starts games in 2024.

The New England Patriots have made an offer to impending free-agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) after months of stalled talks, according to a source. Despite playing in only eight games last year due to an ACL tear that he suffered in Week 8, the 28-year-old is expected to draw significant interest on the open market if he makes it to free agency. The Jets were among the teams to show interest in Bourne over the last 18 months, when a Patriots source said their front office received trade calls at the end of training camp in 2022 and 2023. The Raiders, Rams, Bills and Texans were other teams interested, but they were told Bourne wasn't available. Two front-office executives project Bourne to eventually sign a deal with an average annual value around $7 million. He's ahead of schedule in his recovery from his ACL and is tracking toward a return for Week 1 of the 2024 regular season.