Josh WeinfussMar 13, 2026, 08:46 PM
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- As soon as he could on Monday morning when the NFL's legal negotiating period opened up, new Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur reached out to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
"Hey, what are you thinking?" LaFleur asked.
"Hey, bro, you let me know. I'm waiting for you, in a sense," Bourne responded.
By Monday afternoon, Bourne had agreed to be a Cardinal.
During their conversations, Bourne and LaFleur talked about Bourne's role as a veteran in Arizona's receivers room. Having played for LaFleur when LaFleur was the San Francisco 49ers' receivers coach and pass game coordinator from 2017 to 2020, Bourne's first four years in the NFL, he not only already had a relationship with LaFleur but also already knew what to expect out of LaFleur's offense.
That, along with the Cardinals being the only bidder for Bourne's services, helped convince the 30-year-old pass catcher to land in Arizona.
"It's exciting," Bourne said. "I don't have to struggle with trying to learn new formations. It may be different terms, and he may have different ways of calling things now from our past, but I know it's going to be similar and it's going to be something I can pick up."
During their conversation, one important topic came up: Who will be throwing the passes to Bourne?
Kendrick Bourne didn't have many suitors, but Mike LaFleur proved to be the right fit. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
By time the news of Bourne agreeing to join the Cardinals came out Monday, Arizona had already agreed to terms with quarterback Gardner Minshew, who is joining Jacoby Brissett in the quarterbacks room. Who will start, however, is still the question.
The unknown of who will be his quarterback didn't impact Bourne's decision to come to Arizona. What mattered was LaFleur.
"I'm like, 'I trust you, man. I don't care if you don't have a quarterback, I don't care if you don't have an O-line. I trust you and I know what you're going to build. And if I'm a piece to that puzzle, hey, add me now and you can deal with the quarterback situation later,'" Bourne said. "And so, it didn't really concern me because it comes down to timing, and if I can get open and the O-line can block, we're going to move the ball. But if we can't block and I don't run good routes and run it at the right timing, we're not going to do anything. So, the pieces come together.
"So, I wasn't really too concerned. Gardner's a great quarterback. Jacoby, great quarterback. So, draft coming up, never know what's going to happen, but I just believe in my abilities, I believe in the team abilities and I think that's going to fix any problem."
Another factor in Bourne's interest in Arizona has been a longtime appreciation for the Cardinals' culture, he said.
It started when he was a rookie in San Francisco in 2017 and watched Arizona's Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald catch a game-winning touchdown in overtime in Week 4.
"It was crazy," Bourne said. "And that's when I was like, 'OK, yeah, Arizona, they're different.' It's always competitive when we come into the stadium, when they come to us. So, that's something that I always noticed. So, that was the specific game.
"So, that's when it kind of started. But, I've always been competing with this team, so be a part. I'm excited to see where this journey goes."
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With Arizona being the only bidder, Bourne's connection to LaFleur and his longtime admiration for the Cardinals, the Cardinals were an ideal fit for Bourne, who is coming off his best season since 2021. He had 551 receiving yards on 37 catches for the 49ers last season and is coming into a system he knows intimately.
Bourne sees himself as a "plug and play" option in a passing game in which he might end up being the fourth option behind tight end Trey McBride and receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Bourne added that he can play inside and outside, as well.
And, maybe most importantly for Bourne, he'll be playing for the right coach.
"He's somebody that I am very close to and passionate about, so I'll run through a wall for that guy," Bourne said. "I'll go over the middle ... whatever I got to do to help the team and help him start his head coaching career off right."