Patriots Rumor Patriots potentially trading for Aiyuk (Update - Patriots Out of the Running)

[JohnJH]

Sounds like that is what happened.



Ah well would have been nice but not the end of the world without him. I didn’t expect it anyway.

Well, we just stick to the plan and hope that the young WR's develop and build a solid OL via next years FA and Draft (the OL in the Draft and other pieces in FA), and of course hope that Drake Maye becomes the QB that we hope he'll become. Only then will it be easier to attract young and talented FA's when they are available.

 

[Guts]

didn't want him anyways

 

[Hugepatsfan]

He would have been a nice add. Having him place would have really aided the development of Maye and our young WRs IMO. Disappointed we didn't land him. Seems like we were willing to throw an absolute bag at him but he just didn't want to come here right now, so I don't blame the team.

Gotta face the music here... we're a 4 win team with a rookie QB who's seen as not NFL ready and isn't a "prodigy" type of prospect. It's a high tax area. It's not a "destination" type of market. Fans here loved to scream that "they hate us cuz they aint us" during the Brady years... well guess what? Most of the guys in the NFL probably grew up hating us and rooting against the team. The NFL is still more team-friendly than the NBA for example, but we're still seeing player empowerment more and more. These guys nowadays use all the leverage they can to get to where they want to go. As things stand right now, we're not going to be the place most guys want to end up if given the choice. And guys as good as Aiyuk usually have the leverage to make it their choice.

I think Wolf should start to practice some more discretion in his player pursuits. They keep pursuing these guys and offering the most money and getting turned down. It just turns you into a laughing stock. It's not even that he's doing anything wrong, but you got the whole internet laughing at you and dancing on your grave. It puts a negative energy around the team. He'd be better off staying more behind the scenes with these pursuits and looking less desperate. The optics of it are bad.

I'm disappointed we didn't land him like I said, but honestly our team sucks with him or without him. We aren't good enough where getting or not getting one player really matters much. Over the next few years, we need to start acquiring great players (or have guys on the roster develop into that), so it stinks to not get those guys as they come available. But it's not "make or break" yet for us in any way, so it doesn't phase me too much to miss on guys.

 

[Free_Pacman]

We may be the least desirable destination in all of football.

It truly is incredible how bad Mac Jones destroyed this franchise.

 

[lancerman]

On one hand I'm glad we didn't commit 30 million a year for arguably the best #2 and a mid to low #1 WR. But on the flipside, the Patriots are viewed as such a nonfactor that we couldn't get a WR to take the best offer he will ever get this year to come here. Don't really care, the Pats are in rebuild mode, not "waste money chasing something for short term gain mode".

 

[Hugepatsfan]

On one hand I'm glad we didn't commit 30 million a year for arguably the best #2 and a mid to low #1 WR. But on the flipside, the Patriots are viewed as such a nonfactor that we couldn't get a WR to take the best offer he will ever get this year to come here. Don't really care, the Pats are in rebuild mode, not "waste money chasing something for short term gain mode".

People keep saying stuff like this. Can you provide a map of what you consider "#2s" and "low to mid #1" vs "high #1".

Aiyuk is considered a top 5-10 WR by pretty much anyone who ranks them. If a top 5-10 guy is only a mid to low #1 WR, in a league with 32 teams, who exactly is a good #1 lol

 

[slash83]

Let him go rot with a has been Russell Wilson and a bum Justin Fields. Or Deshaun Watson who hasn’t been worth a damn in years.

 

[Ring 6]

People say that Kraft refused to spend, but there are no evidence of that. Fact is there weren't a lot good young, players available in free agency. Most of the top players were older and will be past their prime by the time the Patriots are contenders again. Aiyuk doesn't fall into that category.

My guess is next year, assuming they think Maye is ready to make an impact, that the Pats will spend more in free agency.

There is $43,000,000 of evidence. There were dozens of free agents.
Kraft has never spent top dollar. Belichick could manage the cap to spend to it without the cash outlay other teams were willing to spend. Even if we spend to the cap we do it lean on cash.

 

[MrTibbs]

Pats dropped out of the running knowing they were being played and have no shot to land him. Oh my, have the mighty fallen...we've become the laughingstock of the NFL.

CLOSE THE THREAD

 

[Ring 6]

Ahh. I'm touched.

Never forget they fired the best coach of all time just to spend all their cap on the players he drafted.

I see right through the Krafts.

All their cap except the 43 million sitting in krafts pocket.

 

[lancerman]

He would have been a nice add. Having him place would have really aided the development of Maye and our young WRs IMO. Disappointed we didn't land him. Seems like we were willing to throw an absolute bag at him but he just didn't want to come here right now, so I don't blame the team.

Gotta face the music here... we're a 4 win team with a rookie QB who's seen as not NFL ready and isn't a "prodigy" type of prospect. It's a high tax area. It's not a "destination" type of market. Fans here loved to scream that "they hate us cuz they aint us" during the Brady years... well guess what? Most of the guys in the NFL probably grew up hating us and rooting against the team. The NFL is still more team-friendly than the NBA for example, but we're still seeing player empowerment more and more. These guys nowadays use all the leverage they can to get to where they want to go. As things stand right now, we're not going to be the place most guys want to end up if given the choice. And guys as good as Aiyuk usually have the leverage to make it their choice.

I think Wolf should start to practice some more discretion in his player pursuits. They keep pursuing these guys and offering the most money and getting turned down. It just turns you into a laughing stock. It's not even that he's doing anything wrong, but you got the whole internet laughing at you and dancing on your grave. It puts a negative energy around the team. He'd be better off staying more behind the scenes with these pursuits and looking less desperate. The optics of it are bad.

I'm disappointed we didn't land him like I said, but honestly our team sucks with him or without him. We aren't good enough where getting or not getting one player really matters much. Over the next few years, we need to start acquiring great players (or have guys on the roster develop into that), so it stinks to not get those guys as they come available. But it's not "make or break" yet for us in any way, so it doesn't phase me too much to miss on guys.

If the Patriots were a contender, people would come here. People went to Pittsburgh when they were viewed as a contender. People would take money to go to Oakland in a high tax state. Minnesota is cold as ****, not a marquee destination, and has a higher tax burden than MA. They can get big name free agents when things are going well.

Aiyuk is greedy but he's not dumb. He's 26, and he's been playing on a team with Deebo, Kittle and McCaffrey opening him up. He thinks he has another contract beyond this one and doesn't want to spend a couple years as the number 1 on a team that isn't likely to win a lot, has a bad offensive line, is going to start a mediocre Brissett and is trying to build up Maye who might not even pan out. In a few years when he's searching for his next contract he might be viewed very differently in this circumstance.

In truth you are right, this isn't a big deal. But players will go somewhere if they think it will benefit how they look. The Patriots do not look like a great place for a WR. Between the uncertainty at QB, the line, and the reality that outside of some diehards, most people around the league think our WR room is a big joke, it just a situation a potential number 1 is going to be scared off by.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

So much for going all in. This team is in a bad way. It's gonna be a rough couple years before we gotta fire everyone again.

Wonderful

If he doesn’t want to sign a long term extension what can you do? We’re not going to give up a high pick for a one year rental. Develop the players we drafted and then figure out if we need to continue to address wr next offseason.

 

[billdog3484]

Better off we didn’t spend this much money and cap on aiyuk. We need a left tackle more

 

[slash83]

Better off we didn’t spend this much money and cap on aiyuk. We need a left tackle more

Well you aren’t getting one in free agency so enjoy all of that cap!

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Better off we didn’t spend this much money and cap on aiyuk. We need a left tackle more

Trading for or not trading for Aiyuk or another top WR isn't really directly relevant to us getting a LT. We have the cap space to pay a WR $30M/year and then pay a LT $40M/year after that if we really wanted to. Cap space isn't an issue for us. And draft pick wise, it's unlikely we'd have give up a 1st for Aiyuk (at least not next year's) and realistically a "real solution" at LT would take that 1st. The pick we'd likely have given up for Aiyuk would have been our 2nd and itd unlikely that pick lands us a LT because those guys usually go 1st round. There's some indirect impact because maybe the extra pick helps us move up, but overall trying to make it an either-or situation is silly.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

We may be the least desirable destination in all of football.

It truly is incredible how bad Mac Jones destroyed this franchise.

Mac’s a big part but Bill the GM is the biggest reason the franchise is in the shape it’s in.

 

[Ross12]

The Pats “take themselves out of the running” in public fashion because that then tells the Steelers and Browns that they now have much less competition and can drop their contract offers. Aiyuk now gets less money. If he suddenly gets whiplash at the contract value he is seeing versus what NE was willing to give him he may change his mind again.

 

[lancerman]

People keep saying stuff like this. Can you provide a map of what you consider "#2s" and "low to mid #1" vs "high #1".

Aiyuk is considered a top 5-10 WR by pretty much anyone who ranks them. If a top 5-10 guy is only a mid to low #1 WR, in a league with 32 teams, who exactly is a good #1 lol

Aiyuk is not even the best WR on his team. Everyone knows Deebo is and that Deebo getting all the coverage is opening up. He's not even the 2nd best pass catcher on his team with Kittle there. And the most important overall weapon is CMC. Don't get me wrong, he's good, but he's the guy that's two good for teams to treat like the 2nd or 3rd option in coverage, which is what most teams will do. He's not tested as a number 1 who is the priority, which is what will happen if he plays here.

Last year Aiyuk was statistically 7th in yards. Which is his overall best volume stat. But he's 31 in receptions and 19 in touchdowns. He had a good year being arguably the 3rd or 4th priority for defenses on his team.

Hill, Deebo, Lamb, St. Brown, Brown, Nacua, Allen, Chase, Metcalf, Jefferson, Diggs, Adams, Evans. Those are 13 guys that every team in the league would pick to be a number 1 over Aiyuk. Aiyuk is basically Chris Godwin if Evans was backed up by Kittle and CMC was on the team. He would feast and put down a ****ton of yards as well.

Don't get me wrong, he's really good and he's putting up numbers. But he's a guy putting up numbers because every defense playing his team is gameplanning aroun 3 other guys and are okay with losing to him if that's what it comes down to. You can't just assume he's going to put up the same stats coming to New England where DC's don't respect anyone on our offense and are going to push all the coverage his way. Which is what a number 1 WR will do. It might open up some of our guys more. But he's not going to be what you see in San Fran.

 

[billdog3484]

Well you aren’t getting one in free agency so enjoy all of that cap!

Gotta team build. Aiyuk would be nice but there’s more to real football than fantasy football. Can’t pass if you can’t block. Wil ruin a young quarterback.

 

[lancerman]

Mac’s a big part but Bill the GM is the biggest reason the franchise is in the shape it’s in.

If it was all Mac, then players would say "well Mac's gone and they got a new QB now, so the problem is gone". The reality is that people know how light our line is and how bad our WR's have been. The QB being a young rookie in development who may or may not become a viable starter is just the icing on the cake.