Patriots had not only one, but two offers on the table for Brandon Aiyuk
The New England Patriots weren't successful, but they made a real effort to acquire wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year. The trade package would include a 2025 second-rounder, a 2026 fourth-rounder, and possibly a player like Kendrick Bourne. The most interesting part, though, is that the Patriots actually made […]
The New England Patriots weren't successful, but they made a real effort to acquire wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year.
The trade package would include a 2025 second-rounder, a 2026 fourth-rounder, and possibly a player like Kendrick Bourne. The most interesting part, though, is that the Patriots actually made two contract offers for Aiyuk. Check out what Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on Monday.
"Had the New England Patriots done a deal with the Niners for Aiyuk, and they were trying, the package was expected to be for a 2025 second-round pick, a ’26 fourth-rounder, and a player—the Niners asked for Kendrick Bourne, who played for San Francisco from 2017–20 and is still making his way back from a torn ACL. New England put two contract proposals in front of Aiyuk. One averaged $30 million over three years, and the other exceeded $32 million per year over four years."
Brandon Aiyuk ended up signing with the 49ers for four years and $120 million, which is less than what the Patriots had put on the table. New England was willing to pay $90 million over three years or $128 million over four years.
The 49ers also had two options on the table for Aiyuk, and the other one was a three-year, $87 million extension — $29 million in yearly average.
For the Patriots, it would have been smart to add a player like Aiyuk to support Drake Maye's development, especially without using a first-round pick in the process. However, the player wasn't willing to play for the Patriots.
Frustrating offseason
The Patriots have been active trying to reinforce the wide receiver room, but it hasn't had the results new team-builder Eliot Wolf would prefer. The team made a strong offer for Calvin Ridley in free agency and was perceived as a finalist to sign him, but he ended up going to the Tennessee Titans for $23 million per season.
In comparison to last year's room, the Patriots added KJ Osborn in free agency, plus Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the draft. On the other hand, Wolf released veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, creating extra cap space based on the offset language of the contract. New England also signed free agent tight end Austin Hooper, who played for the Titans last season. Kendrick Bourne is still on the roster, but he's still recovering from a torn ACL and will start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Even though the Patriots haven't officially confirmed it, the decision to play Jacoby Brissett instead of Drake Maye to start the season happens in at least some part to the fact that the supporting cast isn't ideal for a rookie quarterback — and that includes wide receivers and also the offensive line.
Patriots get unexpected extra cap after former weapon signs elsewhere
Take what they can get.
