The New England Patriots have reportedly pulled out of the Brandon Aiyuk race, possibly because they couldn’t persuade the star wide receiver to join their team.
Aiyuk has been granted permission to negotiate contract extensions with other teams, potentially facilitating a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, no team was willing to offer Aiyuk a more lucrative deal than the Patriots.
The Patriots supposedly offered Aiyuk a contract exceeding $30 million per year, which would have made the 26-year-old one of the NFL’s top five highest-paid wide receivers. New England was prepared to provide the draft capital the 49ers wanted and even include wide receiver Kendrick Bourne in the trade, but Aiyuk does not want to play for the Patriots.
Aiyuk might consider giving a discount to one interested team, but that team would still need to present a trade package acceptable to the 49ers, which is not guaranteed.
The Patriots have been trying to acquire a top wide receiver for some time but have struggled to do so in the post-Tom Brady era. A similar situation occurred when New England attempted to sign Calvin Ridley in free agency this offseason.
