The New England Patriots made headlines across the NFL this week after briefly stepping in and out of recent Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors.
On Monday, it was reported that the Patriots and San Francisco 49ers had agreed to trade Aiyuk to Foxboro and would now have to wait for the star WR to agree to a new contract. But then we learned that New England ultimately decided to take his name out of the running and instead focus on its current weapons.
It raised some questions as to why the Patriots decided to call off the Aiyuk talks, but we’re starting to better understand why the situation turned out the way it did. ESPN Insider Adam Schefter provided some background on the fallout, noting that New England had a bad feeling about the deal and went in a different direction:
“New England had set the parameters for a trade with San Francisco. That wasn’t the problem. They didn’t have a good vibe here when they tried to communicate with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent. And the longer it took, the worse they felt about it. And at some point they said, ‘What are we doing here? Let’s just focus on the young receivers we have.'”
– Adam Schefter, via ESPN
Aiyuk’s lack of interest comes after he reported disinterest in moving to New England, even with a reportedly massive contract offer of over $32 million – a deal that would make him the second-highest paid WR in the NFL in terms of AAV, per AboutTheCap.
That’s a high price to pay for Aiyuk, and it’s probably the price that had to be paid to have a realistic chance of bringing him to New England. Still, the numbers presented to him weren’t enough to convince him, which led Patriots management to cut losses and move on to Plan B.
Instead, the Patriots can focus on their emerging talent at receiver, particularly their two rookies at the position, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Instead of signing an expensive WR1 for this offense, New England can focus on recruiting and developing their guys in the buildup and signing another big name later on the transfer market if they so choose.
Aiyuk would have been a tremendous addition at wide receiver and the best name the Patriots have had at the position in the last five years. In his final season in San Francisco, he recorded 75 receptions, 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He would have been an instant spark for this flagging offense starting in 2023. No doubt about it. However, it looks like the slower approach is underway in New England.
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