There is always some kind of continuous drama happening across the league involving contract talks with big time players. For the last couple of months, Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers has been in the news about wanting a new contract with the team. It seems like things have taken a turn for the worst with Aiyuk and the 49ers. According to Mike Garafolo, Aiyuk has requested a trade out of San Francisco after months of going back and forth regarding negotiations.
Source: #49ers All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 16, 2024
Despite a recent meeting, the Niners haven’t been willing to engage in negotiations since May so Aiyuk has respectfully asked out. pic.twitter.com/EWxYMvsHch
Now that we know what Aiyuk is requesting, we are going to start seeing rumors and listings as to where Aiyuk could end up. Maybe Aiyuk and the 49ers do end up agreeing on a deal. It wasn’t too long ago that San Francisco and Deebo Samuel were in the same predicament. The biggest difference between these two situations is that the 49ers are going to have to eventually pay Brock Purdy, who is going into his third year of his rookie contract this season. If Purdy has yet another big season and takes the 49ers deep into the playoffs or even the Super Bowl again, it would not be surprising to see him earn a contract where he earns $60 million a year.
At the end of the day, fans are going to be monitoring this situation...and Bills fans are going to want to pay attention closely as well.
How could Aiyuk affect the Buffalo Bills?
According to Josina Anderson, sources say that Buffalo’s division rival, the New England Patriots were a team that called the 49ers in regards to Aiyuk’s availability.
I’m told within the last couple of weeks the #Patriots reached out to the #49ers inquiring about WR Brandon Aiyuk again and were told the talented wide receiver was not being traded at the time, per source. pic.twitter.com/QhSmCBm7fW
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) July 16, 2024
While the tweet says that Aiyuk was not available at the time, this scenario of Aiyuk landing with the Patriots becomes more likely if the 49ers are offered a deal that they cannot turn down.
The Patriots are in need of playmakers to surround Jacoby Brissett and eventually, Drake Maye with. Aiyuk is currently in an offense that features another star wide receiver, a star tight end, and a star running back. Not only would he become the number one weapon for the Patriots, but he would also be able to get paid the money he is wanting from the 49ers.