It feels like each offseason there are talks of a star player being listed in trade rumors going back to the prior season. The biggest name that has been involved in trade rumors throughout this offseason is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers. It appears that the rumors are massively heating up with Aiyuk as there is a good chance he will be out of Northern California and with a different team.
Aiyuk has been vocal about wanting to get paid but the 49ers are already paying a lot of players and will have to make a decision on quarterback Brock Purdy who is going into the third year of his four-year rookie contract. As it stands, Aiyuk is the odd man out from getting a payday from San Francisco so it looks like he might be getting paid from another team. The only thing that stands in the way of Aiyuk playing for another team is trade logistics, as well as the contract he would get.
ESPN NFL Nation reporter Mike Reiss who covers the New England Patriots put out a report about how the 49ers are listening to offers for the rising wideout and how the Patriots could be a big contender in these sweepstakes.
According to Reiss, the Patriots have been “attempting to acquire Aiyuk for months” according to sources of Reiss’. The Patriots have one of the slowest offenses in the league so getting a player like Aiyuk would definitely give them a boost. Sure, the Patriots don’t have the best stability at quarterback right now but having a true number one wideout would help them in the passing game without question.
When the Patriots opted to draft North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the 3rd overall pick, they wanted to get a fresh start at the most important position on the field. The problem is that the Patriots do not have any true receiving threats so there is no surprise that the Patriots are being linked to Aiyuk.
Aiyuk potentially going to New England is scary for the Bills
We have seen over the past couple of seasons when a team acquires a rising number one receiver, there is more success than failure. The Bills had it with Josh Allen when Buffalo acquired Stefon Diggs, and the Philadelphia Eagles had it with Jalen Hurts when they traded for A.J. Brown. While Maye and Jacoby Brissett are not at the same level as Allen and Hurts, it doesn’t mean they won’t grow as a passer with a legit receiving threat.
Even in a loaded 49ers offense, Aiyuk has had back-to-back 1,000+ receiving yard seasons the last two years and played a major role in San Francisco’s playoff run the last two seasons. The Bills already have enough to worry about when it comes to the Dolphins and the Jets. They do not need a rising star going to New England to help the development of the passing attack.