Patriots might still be the winners of the Brandon Aiyuk trade saga

Another highly-touted star on the move, another Pats swing, and another Pats miss.

Brandon Aiyuk is the latest wide receiver linked to New England who has ended up elsewhere, but there is no need to panic this time. It’s understandable for Patriots fans to want to land a superstar at receiver. Even in the Tom Brady days, there were more Bethel Johnson’s than Randy Moss’s (no disrespect to Bethel).

Since Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay in 2020, operating that way has been more difficult. Over the past four seasons, the Patriots have ranked, on average, 23rd in the league in passing yards per game.

So why the optimism now?

Look no further than Aiyuk. While he’s enjoyed his two best seasons with Brock Purdy leading the San Francisco offense, his career started with 748 and 826 yards in his rookie and second seasons, respectively, with 27 games started.

The Patriots could still come out winners from failed Brandon Aiyuk trade

Rookies Javon Baker and Ja’Lynn Polk have been making waves this offseason, and there’s reason to believe both of them are capable of replicating Aiyuk’s stats from his first two seasons.

Specifically, with Baker being a fourth-round draft pick, I immediately think of a former fifth-round pick in Stefon Diggs, who had 2,472 yards over his first three seasons before taking off like a rocket with six consecutive 1,000+ yard campaigns (including 1,535 in 2020).

Add in the fact that New England’s leading receiver a year ago, DeMario “Pop” Douglas, was a rookie with 561 yards in just seven starts, and the Patriots have three potential Aiyuk-level players on the current roster. One projection even has Douglas forecasted at 814 yards for 2024, which would put him at eye level with Aiyuk’s sophomore campaign.

To cap it off, the Patriots reportedly offered Aiyuk upwards of $30 million annually, among the top receivers in the league. If New England does indeed have a young Aiyuk or two, paying them a small fraction of what Aiyuk would have made (at least for now) is a win for the Pats.

While it may be a lot to put on rookies and second-year players, there is also a veteran presence in the locker room with Kendrick Bourne and several other talented players who will be in the mix for roster spots and playing time.

If you need more reasons to be optimistic about the future of the Pats’ offense, look at Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson.

New England invested the No. 3 overall pick on Maye, ultimately handing him the keys to the franchise moving forward. While teams like Pittsburgh are taking chances on quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who have failed elsewhere, the Patriots decided to part ways with a failed experiment in Mac Jones and get a fresh start with Maye.

As for Stevenson, he has been the backbone of the Patriots’ offense with 2,265 yards rushing, 782 yards receiving, and 15 total touchdowns in his three-year career, which has included only 21 starts.

Many times, there is fear in the unknown. For the Patriots, it’s been known that their offense, specifically their receiver core, has struggled mightily over the last four years. But as they say, patience is a virtue, and just maybe, the tables will turn, and New England will have the star WRs other teams wish to pry away five years from now.

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