Up until 2017, the Buffalo Bills were a laughing stock within the NFL. They were going through a revolving door both at head coach and at quarterback. The team had not made the playoffs in nearly two decades, and they were constantly losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It was a rough time for Bills Mafia but those days are long gone. Since Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane arrived in 2017, the Bills have turned themselves into a relevant team with a star quarterback in Josh Allen.
It’s funny how things can go from one way to another quicker than expected. For the longest time, the Patriots were on top of the league with their Tom Brady-led dynasty. All of that came to an end when Brady opted to leave New England and head down to Tampa Bay. Since his departure, the Patriots have not been the same. Former head coach Bill Belichick was not able to keep the dynasty going as the Patriots took a turn for the worst in terms of who was on their roster.
While the Patriots have always had a stellar defense, it is the offense that is their achilles heel. They are arguably the slowest offense in the league with instability at quarterback. New head coach Jerod Mayo is going to have his growing pains and rookie quarterback Drake Maye is having a rough time at training camp. Overall, this offense has a lot of work to do.
Eliot Wolf, who is the Executive Vice President of Player Personnel for the Patriots had put together an underrated offseason for New England. However, it is still a work in progress. One rumor involving the Patriots, that was reported by ESPN NFL Nation reporter Mike Reiss, was that New England was attempting to trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
It is getting more clear that Aiyuk will more than likely not be in San Francisco in 2024. While the Patriots and the 49ers were reported to have discussed a deal involving Aiyuk, Adam Schefter reported that the Patriots would be removing themselves out of any trade scenarios that involves them getting Aiyuk.
Just a few minutes later, Matt Maiocco, who covers the 49ers, reported that New England and San Francisco had a deal in place that would send Aiyuk to New England with a “large offer” in terms of a new contract. However, Maiocco said that Aiyuk did not “show interest in going there”.
The Patriots had an agreement in place with the 49ers and a large offer to Aiyuk on the table, but he did not show interest in going there. https://t.co/A9saTjG2bI
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 7, 2024
This report shows that New England is no longer a top destination
For as long as we can remember, the Patriots were a great destination for big name players because of Tom Brady. Many stars over the years had gone to New England, whether it be through a trade or free agency, to get themselves a ring. That is no longer the case.
With this report about Aiyuk not showing interest in going to New England, it shows that money is sometimes not a deciding factor. We are in an era where players want to have success and they have an idea as to what kind of situation each team has. Overall, Aiyuk opted to stay away from the mess of a situation that New England currently has.