Kendrick Bourne said the possibility of being traded is ‘definitely’ on his mind

Patriots

“I’d love to be here. If there’s other plans, then it is what it is, but just focusing every day on what I have to do and the task at hand.”

FOXBOROUGH – Kendrick Bourne is in the final year of his contract and he’s been playing well recently.

With the Patriots’ record sitting at 1-5, there’s a chance New England could look to trade valuable players for assets at the trade deadline. The possibility that New England may try to swap Bourne before his contract expires isn’t lost on the 28-year-old receiver.

“It will definitely be in my mind, but it’s just being ready for whatever, man. I want to be here,” Bourne said. “I’d love to be here. If there’s other plans, then it is what it is, but just focusing every day on what I have to do and the task at hand. I think I’m in a good place, so whatever happens happens and just focusing day by day, letting it play out.”

One of the reasons Bourne loves being here, he said, is that the organization fits his “underdog” mentality.

“I like being an underdog,” Bourne said. “When you really think about the underdog, I feel like a lot of us in the Patriots organization are built off of being underdogs in a sense. Bill [Belichick] likes underdogs in a sense. If our team could play like that and know we’re better than what we’re showing and showcase it, I think we could shock a lot of people.”

“Underdog mentality is a great mentality, but we’ve all got to have it,” Bourne continued. “We’ve got to play like it and not just talk about it. Practice like it and go play like it on Sundays.”

Bourne said he’s carried the underdog mentality his entire career since breaking into the league as an undrafted free-agent out of Eastern Washington in 2017.

“Being undrafted, and just working my way up,” Bourne said. “Just trying to work every day. Trying to be better. Trying to help my team every way that I can. Pushing myself as hard as I can every single day. Hard work pays off, so I think for our team if we work hard and people want to doubt us, we’ve got to work harder and change the narrative for ourselves.”

Bourne said he’s excited to face Buffalo and Miami over the next two weeks.

“I think division games are exciting,” Bourne said. “It’s just very important knowing that we’re familiar with Buffalo and Miami, not getting ahead, but it’s just some great opportunities for us to change this around at a crucial time for us being 1-5 and then playing a division game. I think we have an opportunity to put some good stuff on film and showcase who we really are, who we really can be.”