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Kendrick Bourne in action during a game between the Jaguars and 49ers on September 28, 2025.
The San Francisco 49ers’ 26-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday September 28, 2025 was rough for a lot of people, but no one had a rougher day than Kendrick Bourne.
Bourne was targeted four times by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and had three drops, only catching one pass for 17 yards.
That included one key drop on third down that killed a key 49ers drive. After that drop, the Jaguars returned the subsequent 49ers punt 87 yards for a touchdown.
But despite a really tough performance, Bourne assured 49ers fans late on the evening of Monday, September 29, 2025 that he is feeling positive about the road ahead.
“WE [WILL] BE BETTER!” Bourne wrote in a post on Instagram. “CAUSE IT MEANS SOMETHING! ADVERSITY IS THE BEST TEACHER! LORD KNOWS!”
Bourne, who returned to the 49ers early in the season and played in San Francisco from 2017-2020, is known for being a positive presence on the 49ers’ sideline, always smiling and often dancing.
Bourne Likely Still Working Out Chemistry From Purdy
The 49ers signed Kendrick Bourne after their Week 1 win against the Seattle Seahawks, and he did very well in his first two games of the season against the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals.
In those two games combined, Bourne caught 7 of 9 targets for 70 yards. In 3 games, he has put up better production than every 49ers wide receiver except Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.
But, his first two games in his return to San Francisco came with Mac Jones at quarterback. Jones and Bourne played together with the New England Patriots from 2021-23, so they have some preestablished chemistry.
In contrast, Bourne and Purdy had never played together before Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. And they didn’t have the offseason to get to know each other either, because Bourne signed with SF after the season began. They have probably barely even practiced together.
Purdy’s status against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday October 2, 2025 is still up in the air, so if Jones starts again, expect Bourne’s production to immediately improve.
But also, expect his connection with Purdy to improve as the season goes on.
Jerry Rice Comments Come Back Into Focus
After Bourne’s rough performance, 49ers fan Mike Finn reminded everyone of comments that legendary 49ers receiver Jerry Rice made back in 2020.
“If you are dancing and you haven’t made a catch or you haven’t done anything on the football field, I have a problem with that,” Rice said on 95.7 The Game.
“Quit dancing if you dropping balls,” Finn said in his post, very clearly targeted at Bourne.
Bourne’s positive post on Instagram is an indication that he’s not going to stop being himself even amidst hard times.
In past weeks, when the 49ers were winning, fans celebrated that energy and even credited it as a potential reason for the team’s success.
Plus, Bourne took accountability for his drops in his postgame media availability following the loss.
“I gotta catch the ball,” Bourne said. “That’s how I look at it from my end. I felt like I was in the wrong spots a little bit, that’s how it felt, so just gotta be in better spots for Brock and be a better target.”
49ers fans, what do you think of Kendrick Bourne? Can he bounce back against the Rams this week?
Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for heavy.com. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman
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