- Update: The New England Patriots have pulled out of Brandon Aiyuk trade talks after he showed lack of interest in going there.
The New England Patriots are reportedly one of two teams that have agreed to the parameters of a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The other team on that exclusive list is the conference rival Cleveland Browns.
It’s now all about what the 26-year-old Aiyuk will choose. He seemingly prefers to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have also re-engaged San Francisco in trade talks after things broke down earlier in the week.
Aiyuk wants to be one of the five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. He certainly also wants to play for a winning team. This might work against a New England squad that’s in rebuild mode.
But there is on thing that could be working in New England’s favor. Money. Let us explain.
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New England Patriots willing to offer Brandon Aiyuk top-five wide receiver money
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported this during an appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday.
This fits with what Aiyuk was demanding from San Francisco before contract talks stalled during the spring. That is to say, $30-plus million annually.
We saw a ton of wide receivers sign lucrative contracts during the offseason. That includes Justin Jefferson ($35 million per season), A.J. Brown ($32 million), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million) and Tyreek Hill ($30 million). This is a clear indication that New England is willing to meet that $30 million asking price. San Francisco apparently is not.
The two open-ended questions are obvious. Does Aiyuk want to play for New England and what would head back to San Francisco in a hypothetical trade?
We should find out soon enough.
Read more: Ranking the five most-ideal Brandon Aiyuk trade scenarios