Patriots are one of two teams with deals on the table for Brandon Aiyuk
![San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) reacts to his touchdown score during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_64/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F49%2F01j4jta7jagpsa01aapp.jpg "San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) reacts to his touchdown score during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
After a day filled with rumors claiming the Steelers and 49ers had agreed to a deal to send receiver Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported late Monday night that it is actually the Browns and the Patriots who have deals on the table to get a trade done.
That rumor was quickly confirmed by MassLive writer and Patriots reporter Mark Daniels, whose sources validated the potentially big news.
Source confirms @MaioccoNBCS's report that the Patriots have the framework of a Brandon Aiyuk trade done with the 49ers.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 6, 2024
Patriots have permission to negotiate with Aiyuk's team and it's up to the receiver to decide where he'll land. Potentially huge news for the Patriots
Multiple reports shot down the Steelers rumor, stating no deal existed. However, the likelihood of Aiyuk being dealt was far higher than the 49ers agreeing to an extension with him.
That left the door open for the Patriots to pursue Aiyuk if they were still interested, which they reportedly were as recently as last month. Reports have said that Eliot Wolf had been in contact with GM John Lynch before and during the Draft earlier this year, offering their second-round pick to acquire Aiyuk.
The Niners rejected that offer, and when Wolf contacted the team again last month to check in on the status of extension talks, San Francisco continued to insist they weren't interested in trading Aiyuk.
But with negotiations appearing to have stalled, the 49ers have reportedly allowed Aiyuk's team to speak with teams interested in a trade. If they can agree to a deal, they will sign off on it. The receiver will need to choose between the Browns and the Patriots or reject both offers and remain in San Francisco despite not having "engaged in substantive contract talks for months."
The Patriots' rumored offer includes Kendrick Bourne, who came to New England from the 49ers in 2021, while the Browns are expected to include Amari Cooper.
It'll be interesting to see what Aiyuk ultimately decides and if a friendship with Bourne will play a factor in his decision to go to the Patriots or not. Neither quarterback situation is ideal, nor are their championship chances. But if he wants to be paid or, at the very least, just wants out of the Bay area, then he has options.
If Wolf pulls off this trade, it might go down as one of the best starts to a general manager's career in the NFL and certainly one of the best acquisitions for the Patriots in many years.
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