Patriots Attendance: Kendrick Bourne Absent Amid Trade Rumors
UPDATE (11:45 a.m. ET): Matthew Judon departed the field shortly after individual position drills began, spending time with a trainer before disappearing entirely. He eventually returned without a helmet and watched from the sideline.
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Kendrick Bourne is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and has not participated in any of the New England Patriots training camp sessions.
But Bourne's absence from the practice fields at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday was noteworthy.
The energetic Bourne routinely went through the stretching period in prior practices. He wore a Patriots practice jersey without a helmet and didn't wear pads on days his teammates did. On Day 11, however, he was notably absent, less than 24 hours after being included in a trade report.
NBC Sports Bay Area dropped a bombshell report Monday night and wrote Bourne would likely be sent to the San Francisco 49ers if the Patriots finalized a trade for Brandon Aiyuk.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said he had a conversation with Bourne on Tuesday morning, which confirms Bourne is in the building.
“I did talk to (Bourne) this morning, and it was a good conversation,” Mayo said before practice. “And once again, I feel like the story is so much further along than anything else. I just wanted to make sure we clear the air.”
The weather could have been a factor, too. Bourne continues to recover from a torn ACL that ended his 2023 season, and it might have been best to keep him off the wet fields on a rainy day in Foxboro.
In other absence-related news, offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was not in pads during the fully padded session. Patriots starting cornerback Marcus Jones and safety Marte Mapu also were among those absent. Joshua Bledsoe returned.
Here's the full absence list:
DT Christian Barmore
CB Marcus Jones
S Marte Mapu
OT Chukwuma Okorafor
LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)
OL Cole Strange (PUP)
WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP)
There were no other surprises as the other absentees included Christian Barmore (blood clots) and others on PUP.