New England Patriots

The New England Patriots and impending free agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne are working to agree on a new contract ahead of 2024 free agency, but there's still a "notable gap" in negotiations, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson. Bourne played in just eight games last year before suffering a torn ACL, yet he still finished third on the team with 406 receiving yards. Since signing with the Patriots in 2021, Bourne has hauled in 127 passes for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns. Given the weakness of New England's wide receiver group, re-signing him before he can hit the open market appears to be a priority.

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry was scheduled to be a free agent next week, but the organization signed him to a three-year, $27 million deal on Friday. Henry signed with the Patriots on a three-year deal during the 2021 offseason after five years with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers. He's hauled in 143 passes for 1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns in his three years with New England despite poor quarterback play from Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Unless New England's next quarterback is a vast improvement, Henry will remain a touchdown-dependent fantasy option with limited upside.

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.