Do the Patriots Have a Legitimate Chance to Trade Brandon Aiyuk? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The San Francisco 49ers indicated at the start of training camp that they had no plans to trade Brandon Aiyuk.
But it seems the conversation is now turning to the star player, the wide receiver, and the New England Patriots could be involved.
NFLDraftBuzz.com’s Cam Marino reported over the weekend that the Patriots and Cleveland Browns are “front-runners” in trade talks for Aiyuk, suggesting both teams would be willing to pay Aiyuk upwards of $30 million per year on a new deal. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported on Sunday that he sees an Aiyuk trade as a realistic possibility, while explaining why both New England and Cleveland would be logical trade partners.
Why the sudden momentum around a potential Aiyuk trade? As Maiocco reports, the All-Pro wideout, who is currently making $14.1 million in the final year of his rookie contract, has taken “longer than expected” to reach a new deal with San Francisco after the two sides were reportedly close to an agreement last month.
Several top receivers have also recently received new or revised contracts, including Tyreek Hill, whose $106.5 million guaranteed salary is the highest ever for a receiver. That could drive up the price for Aiyuk.
Maiocco notes that the Browns could entice the 49ers by sending Amari Cooper and multiple draft picks to San Francisco in exchange for Aiyuk. A Patriots-Niners trade, meanwhile, could see Kendrick Bourne return to his NFL home for the first four seasons.
“The Patriots are another logical trade partner for the 49ers,” Maiocco wrote. “The Patriots could offer former 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne as part of a trade that includes an attractive package of 2025 draft picks.”
New England may be reluctant to part with Bourne and a 2025 first-round pick, which would likely be a top-10 pick unless the Patriots massively overperform this season. But if Eliot Wolf and company can hold on to their 2025 first-round pick and put together a package that includes Bourne and multiple 2025 draft picks, it might be a deal worth taking.
Aiyuk is coming off a 1,342-yard, seven-touchdown campaign in 2023 and has back-to-back seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. He would be the Patriots’ leading receiver in at least five years — Julian Edelman was the last New England wideout to reach 1,000+ receiving yards in 2019 — and would give them the true No. 1 wideout they’ve been missing for half a decade.
Aiyuk could help the development of rookie Drake Maye immensely while taking some pressure off second-year receiver DeMario Douglas and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. The Patriots have $43 million in available cap space, according to OverTheCap, so they have the resources to pay the 26-year-old.
New England may decide to remain conservative and focus on rebuilding in 2024 before spending money on outside talent. But the team will have to make significant talent upgrades at some point, and it appears they have an opportunity to do so.
