All offseason long, New England Patriots fans have been clamoring for the team to add a true number one wide receiver to their offense. While they landed a pair of promising pass catchers in Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the 2024 NFL Draft, they missed out on Calvin Ridley in free agency and failed to make moves for disgruntled stars like Tee Higgins or Brandon Aiyuk.
With the San Francisco 49ers recently turning on their heel and deciding to explore trading Aiyuk, it seemed like the Pats had increased their level of aggressiveness in their pursuit. Unfortunately, their hopes of landing Aiyuk were dashed on Tuesday night when it was reported that the team was not going to further pursue a trade for the Niners talented wideout.
A closer look at the details shows that New England's front office made a big swing for Aiyuk, but they were ultimately turned down by him when all was said and done. While that may seem catastrophic on the surface, in the long run, not trading for Aiyuk will likely help the team out more than it will hurt them.
Patriots are in no position to go all-in for Brandon Aiyuk
There's no doubt the Patriots need a number one wide receiver. Right now, their wide receiver depth chart is led by Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, and their two new rookies in Polk and Baker. The problem is that none of those guys are truly capable of being a top target for whoever ends up under center (likely Jacoby Brissett) in the 2024 campaign.
Aiyuk would have been the perfect guy to fill that role. Despite playing in an offense that features the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle, Aiyuk has turned himself into one of the top all-around wide receivers in the league. He earned a spot on the All-Pro second team thanks to his strong body of work last season (75 REC, 1342 YDS, 7 TD), and heading into his age 26 season, it seems like he is about to enter his prime.
New England would obviously love to have him on their team, but at what cost? They reportedly had a trade package accepted by the 49ers, which was expected to be centered around Bourne and a bunch of draft picks. And beyond that, they had a huge contract offer on the table for Aiyuk that was rumored to be around the $30 million per year mark, which would have made him one of the highest paid receivers in the league.
Simply put, Aiyuk didn't want to play for the Patriots, and who could blame him based on what this team looks like? They have a relatively moribound offense, and a new head coach who is unproven. Sure, they offered him a boatload of money, but chances are Aiyuk wants to play on a team he knows will contend rather than one that is a massive question mark like the Pats are.
That may seem like a slap in the face for New England and their fans, but it's a blessing in disguise. Realistically speaking, even the addition of Aiyuk would not make the Patriots a true playoff contender. At some point down the line they are going to have to get their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye some help in the passing game, but if all goes according to plan, he won't play much this season.
Furthermore, whoever ends up picking up Aiyuk would be trading for him at a time where his value is at its absolute highest. He has pretty much all of the leverage as he seeks a trade off the Niners, and he knows it. San Fran is also asking for a pretty penny for the star pass catcher, and then even if they accept that, you have to find a way to ink Aiyuk to a massive new contract.
Saving draft picks and salary cap space is going to be crucial for New England as they continue to rebuild their roster. Giving it up to acquire a player like Aiyuk makes sense in concept, but the massive price tag associated with him ultimately makes this a situation where the Pats dodged a bullet. So while it's a bit discouraging to see that he didn't want to play for the Patriots, it's nothing worth losing sleep over.
Would it have been awesome to see Aiyuk in a Pats uniform this season? Absolutely. But at some point, it doesn't become worth it to pull off these sorts of deals, and while the front office wanted to make a move here, they ended up getting bailed out. A star wide receiver will be needed at some point in the future, but entering a rebuilding year in 2024, that time is not now.
Follow Us
Subscribe