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

[borg]

New England was "still prepared to give" the All-Pro "in excess of $28.5 [million per year]" as part of a potential trade, Anderson reports. The Patriots were always aware it would be a hard sell to bring Aiyuk to New England, per Anderson, as the club is rebuilding with a new coach and quarterback, but still hoped to convince the pass catcher with lofty money.

A contract averaging $28.5 million per year would've made Aiyuk the fifth-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, putting him just ahead of the Miami Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle ($28.25 million) in annual value. The 49ers offered Aiyuk a deal averaging about $26 million per year in May, according to The Athletic.



Additional article Link:

MSN

 

[Ring 6]

I am going to guess you stopped being a homer right around January 11th?

In a way yes. A homer is based upon giving the benefit of the doubt. The greatest run in the history of the sport gave me the confidence to give the benefit of the doubt to the organization. They don’t have that track record any more. I’d be a total blind homer to have faith in a group of people making decisions who have never been successful in their roles.

Kind of common sense isn’t it?

 

[slash83]

New England was "still prepared to give" the All-Pro "in excess of $28.5 [million per year]" as part of a potential trade, Anderson reports. The Patriots were always aware it would be a hard sell to bring Aiyuk to New England, per Anderson, as the club is rebuilding with a new coach and quarterback, but still hoped to convince the pass catcher with lofty money.

A contract averaging $28.5 million per year would've made Aiyuk the fifth-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, putting him just ahead of the Miami Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle ($28.25 million) in annual value. The 49ers offered Aiyuk a deal averaging about $26 million per year in May, according to The Athletic.



Additional article Link:

MSN

It’s a long shot he ends up here but if Pittsburgh falls through which could happen I think he’ll end up here before going back to SF.

 

[Ring 6]

A successful season of growth and proof that Maye can play and Mayo can be a good head coach with a chance to get them back into contention will change that. Until that happens, they’re in a strange unenviable spot right now. Unfortunately.

So we threw away this year?

But if you surround a rookie HC and a rookie QB with a 4 win team that you didn’t use the resources you have to improve how can you expect to contend? Another 4 win season, which it’s hard to expect any more given the off season, and we are right back here having the same conversation in a year.
And some people want to sit Maye for a year so how would next year be different?
Do this again next year and Mayo is out of a job and we may be the bears dumping one qb to draft another.

The only direction i see is keeping expenses down while we test to see whether we really should have put the franchise in the hands it’s in before we try to compete.
Wait until the defense takes a huge step backward this year. We could be Aints level and watching every game wondering if 43 million could have gotten us players who can play.

 

[Ring 6]

You’re aware of Ridley’s statements about Hopkins, aren’t you? And his wife’s preferences to stay south near family, which were echoed by reports out of Jacksonville at the time?

Come on. Every player makes comments about wanting to play with their new teammates.
It just amazes me that this fan base is now just accepting defeat and failure because we can come up with an obstacle and have no expectation that its peoples jobs to overcome obstacle. But take Ridley out of it. What about the other 70+ quality free agents?

Are you really saying you wouldn’t have done anything different and you couldn’t be happier with where the franchise has gone since the end of last season?
It’s shocking to me that people are ok that we just didn’t spend our cap money, which has always been considered non negotiable necessity.

 

[203Pat]

In a way yes. A homer is based upon giving the benefit of the doubt. The greatest run in the history of the sport gave me the confidence to give the benefit of the doubt to the organization. They don’t have that track record any more. I’d be a total blind homer to have faith in a group of people making decisions who have never been successful in their roles.

Kind of common sense isn’t it?

A blind faith homer is being loyal to a guy who couldn't do it anymore when it was blatantly obvious. You're just mad there is a new regime in town and out of your own pettiness you're rooting against them to succeed.

Andy we all know you've never displayed much common sense.

 

[Clonamery]

A blind faith homer is being loyal to a guy who couldn't do it anymore when it was blatantly obvious. You're just mad there is a new regime in town and out of your own pettiness you're rooting against them to succeed.

Andy we all know you've never displayed much common sense.

Then why does he want Maye to start Game 1?

 

[borg]

A blind faith homer is being loyal to a guy who couldn't do it anymore when it was blatantly obvious.

It's blatantly obvious

 

[Ian]

So we threw away this year?

But if you surround a rookie HC and a rookie QB with a 4 win team that you didn’t use the resources you have to improve how can you expect to contend?

I wouldn't say they're throwing away this year, but they're not winning a championship. The most difficult part of this entire situation is they're heading into the season with a side of the ball that is 85% a question mark. You don't really know how either QB is going to play, and their rookie QB hasn't lit things up in camp to this point so he remains a work in progress. The offensive line is another big question mark.

It's not admitting defeat, it's simply trying to come to grips with reality. And they've taken a massive swing at big names but those guys chose elsewhere. It stinks, but it is what it is.

The only direction i see is keeping expenses down while we test to see whether we really should have put the franchise in the hands it’s in before we try to compete. Wait until the defense takes a huge step backward this year. We could be Aints level and watching every game wondering if 43 million could have gotten us players who can play.

We saw how the offseason played out. I didn't walk away from any of it believing the team was cheap or chose not to pay anybody. They re-signed all the core guys who were part of a 10-win season and let all the ones who held some responsibility for 2023 walk. But you keep talking about all this money they didn't spend.

They had a handful of guys they felt were good enough to help them, and they took a shot but didn't hit on the big names while landing some guys (Osborn, Okorafor, etc.) who are already looking like they'll contribute this season. To what level, we don't know.

Instead, they targeted two skill players early and so far, we've been fortunate that they're both looking promising. But as I've said before, you don't have to just spend money for the sake of spending money. This is already a better team on paper than a year ago, which in and of itself is a good thing. If they build a bunch of momentum and look like a club on the rise, my guess is it will much easier to land quality guys to help them get there in 2025.

It sucks that it won't be this season, but there's no point in driving ourselves crazy. We're simply forced to see how the other half lives after plenty of seasons where that wasn't the case. As long as they're competitive week in and week out, I think most of us - or at least I will - be good with that.

 

[XLIX]

Reid has no rings without Chris Jones at DT, he has no rings without Steve Spags coaching his D.

Reid coached against us in a Super Bowl two decades ago when Mahomes was in preschool. He didn't become "good" when Mahomes arrived, don't be silly.

He didn't become good when Mahomes arrived, he became great and started being discussed as the best coach in the game.

Before Mahomes he was not that highly respected and was quite often ridiculed for his horrendous time management. After Mahomes he is seen as among the best of all time.

QB is the most important position because only one starts, the offensive line unit is just as important as QB... you need both. You need defense and all the other players as well.

Your argument is that 5 players combined are just as important as one single player.

Not quite the flex you think it.

We had Brady and went a decade without winning a Super Bowl. He passed for 505 yards, 3 TD's and lost to a team with Nick Foles.

QB's aren't magic, they're a part of team... not apart from team.

QB is far and away the most important position in the game, period, end of discussion.

 

[sambam94]

I don't blame Aiyuk for not wanting Brisset or Maye throwing him the ball.

 

[Wozzy]

He didn't become good when Mahomes arrived, he became great and started being discussed as the best coach in the game.

Before Mahomes he was not that highly respected and was quite often ridiculed for his horrendous time management. After Mahomes he is seen as among the best of all time.

Reid drafted and developed Mahomes, much like BB he doesn't have to qualify his record without him. Some coaches and players go an entire career without winning one ring.

Your argument is that 5 players combined are just as important as one single player.

Not quite the flex you think it.

One position. The same position that prevented Joe Burrow from winning back to back rings.

QB is far and away the most important position in the game, period, end of discussion.

True, but since he can't win alone... a pretty meaningless designation only harped on by QB fanboys.

 

[Ring 6]

A blind faith homer is being loyal to a guy who couldn't do it anymore when it was blatantly obvious. You're just mad there is a new regime in town and out of your own pettiness you're rooting against them to succeed.

Andy we all know you've never displayed much common sense.

Ok so you are against loyalty.

Im not rooting against them to succeed, please show me any time I rooted against them.I root for them equally as much today as when Brady was here, when belichick was here, when Grogan, Eason,, Fairbanks, Hugh Millen, rod rust, Bob gladieux or **** McPherson were here.

Are you telling me not liking what they are doing makes me not a fan? Seems like you don’t understand what common sense is.

 

[203Pat]

He didn't become good when Mahomes arrived, he became great and started being discussed as the best coach in the game.

Before Mahomes he was not that highly respected and was quite often ridiculed for his horrendous time management. After Mahomes he is seen as among the best of all time.

Your argument is that 5 players combined are just as important as one single player.

Not quite the flex you think it.

QB is far and away the most important position in the game, period, end of discussion.

This Bill bobo narrative that Andy Reid was seen as a bum before Mahomes is laughable. He turned around Philly almost immediately and had a second year QB win a playoff game and in the MVP race. Reid has taken 2 different quarterbacks to the Super Bowl, 4 different quarterbacks to the playoffs, and helped revive both Michael Vick, and Alex Smith's careers.

Reid has had his warts with the time management and occasionally getting too cute in big games but he was always a great coach. Mahomes has just made him one of the greatest ever.

 

[203Pat]

Ok so you are against loyalty.

Im not rooting against them to succeed, please show me any time I rooted against them.I root for them equally as much today as when Brady was here, when belichick was here, when Grogan, Eason,, Fairbanks, Hugh Millen, rod rust, Bob gladieux or **** McPherson were here.

Are you telling me not liking what they are doing makes me not a fan? Seems like you don’t understand what common sense is.

You can do whatever you want it doesn't really matter to me. I am all for loyalty but not at the detriment to the team. Unlike you, I root for the Patriots regardless of the coach.

Say I had a car for 24 years and it was a great reliable car the first 20 years. Then over the last 4 years it became inconsistent not matter which parts I changed to the point it just flat out broke down. Should I be loyal to a once great car and sink more time and resources into it or should I cut my losses and get a new one?

Being loyal to a coach who is no longer getting the job done is being disloyal to the fans. I know you think Bill should have gotten unlimited chances as some sort of lifetime achievement award but he was no longer producing.

 

[Ring 6]

I wouldn't say they're throwing away this year, but they're not winning a championship. The most difficult part of this entire situation is they're heading into the season with a side of the ball that is 85% a question mark. You don't really know how either QB is going to play, and their rookie QB hasn't lit things up in camp to this point so he remains a work in progress. The offensive line is another big question mark.

It's not admitting defeat, it's simply trying to come to grips with reality. And they've taken a massive swing at big names but those guys chose elsewhere. It stinks, but it is what it is.

We saw how the offseason played out. I didn't walk away from any of it believing the team was cheap or chose not to pay anybody. They re-signed all the core guys who were part of a 10-win season and let all the ones who held some responsibility for 2023 walk. But you keep talking about all this money they didn't spend.

They had a handful of guys they felt were good enough to help them, and they took a shot but didn't hit on the big names while landing some guys (Osborn, Okorafor, etc.) who are already looking like they'll contribute this season. To what level, we don't know.

Instead, they targeted two skill players early and so far, we've been fortunate that they're both looking promising. But as I've said before, you don't have to just spend money for the sake of spending money. This is already a better team on paper than a year ago, which in and of itself is a good thing. If they build a bunch of momentum and look like a club on the rise, my guess is it will much easier to land quality guys to help them get there in 2025.

It sucks that it won't be this season, but there's no point in driving ourselves crazy. We're simply forced to see how the other half lives after plenty of seasons where that wasn't the case. As long as they're competitive week in and week out, I think most of us - or at least I will - be good with that.

But they had 100,000,000 dollars to address that 85% question mark. You are ok that they chose not to?

Explain this to me though. We had the worst offense in the NFL last year. We had $100,000,000 to fix it with.
What did we do?
Qb- signed a journeyman with an 18-30 record to a 1 year deal
Rb- downgraded rb2 from Elliot to Gibson, if you dispute downgrade it certainly wasn’t an upgrade.
WR- traded out Parker for Osborne. Insignificant change
TE - trade out Gesecki for hooper. Most likely a downgrade
OL traded out Brown for a RT who got benched.

That’s it’s. That’s what we did with 100,000,000 and people are saying there were no players, while also saying we sick so that why we didn’t add players.

Now let’s look at the defense. DL play Guy, no legit replacement now we lose Barmore.
Lb - swapped out Wilson (who played really well at the end of the thread for Takitaki)
S- swapped out mills and Phillips for a jag minimalist either way
Cb added no one.

Can you really read that and tell me there was any effort to improve the team with the 100,000,000 they had. Or let’s look at it a different way. They resigned a bunch of players so take that money away.
All of the players they signed were just swapping out a similar player.
So back to square 1 where they ended th me 4-13 season.

Then they had 43,000,000 to improve the roster and spent none of it.

How can anyone be good with that?

 

[Ring 6]

You can do whatever you want it doesn't really matter to me. I am all for loyalty but not at the detriment to the team. Unlike you, I root for the Patriots regardless of the coach.

Say I had a car for 24 years and it was a great reliable car the first 20 years. Then over the last 4 years it became inconsistent not matter which parts I changed to the point it just flat out broke down. Should I be loyal to a once great car and sink more time and resources into it or should I cut my losses and get a new one?

Being loyal to a coach who is no longer getting the job done is being disloyal to the fans. I know you think Bill should have gotten unlimited chances as some sort of lifetime achievement award but he was no longer producing.

I’m loyal to every player and coach that was ever here.

Again you can’t really forge an argument so you lie and say I am rooting against the team. Why not just stfu if you haven’t lie to have something to say?

My feelings about the team, its players, its coaches has a grand total of zero impact on the team.
You are the one who brought “loyalty” into it, not me. I’m just pointing out that you used it like it was a dirty word

 

[Ian]

But they had 100,000,000 dollars to address that 85% question mark. You are ok that they chose not to?

Explain this to me though. We had the worst offense in the NFL last year. We had $100,000,000 to fix it with.
What did we do?
Qb- signed a journeyman with an 18-30 record to a 1 year deal
Rb- downgraded rb2 from Elliot to Gibson, if you dispute downgrade it certainly wasn’t an upgrade.
WR- traded out Parker for Osborne. Insignificant change
TE - trade out Gesecki for hooper. Most likely a downgrade
OL traded out Brown for a RT who got benched.

That’s it’s. That’s what we did with 100,000,000 and people are saying there were no players, while also saying we sick so that why we didn’t add players.

Now let’s look at the defense. DL play Guy, no legit replacement now we lose Barmore.
Lb - swapped out Wilson (who played really well at the end of the thread for Takitaki)
S- swapped out mills and Phillips for a jag minimalist either way
Cb added no one.

Can you really read that and tell me there was any effort to improve the team with the 100,000,000 they had. Or let’s look at it a different way. They resigned a bunch of players so take that money away.
All of the players they signed were just swapping out a similar player.
So back to square 1 where they ended th me 4-13 season.

Then they had 43,000,000 to improve the roster and spent none of it.

How can anyone be good with that?

Just because I have money in my wallet when I go to the store doesn't mean I'm going to spend all of it if I'm not thrilled with the selection. I'll keep it for down the road when I need something else or there's a better sale.

To your points:
QB - they signed a guy who has thus far been a good mentor for their future guy and has had a good camp. They were going younger and he's here on a one-year deal.
RB - they went younger. I get it. Liked Elliot, but Gibson is 26 and he's here to complement Rhamondre.
WR - Osborn already looks like he'll be more productive than Parker and I'm pleased with the two young wideouts, along with Boutte, who has also been a surprise.
TE - Gesicki for Hooper may end up being a wash, but who knows.
OL - I don't know if he got benched. That position remains in flux. And the free agent tackle that was available was an often hurt guy who is already injured. Not sorry they didn't spend money there.

On defense, that's a wait and see. Albeit Barmore's situation doesn't help things and Guy remains a free agent, and his name has come up on podcasts as of late, although I don't know if he'd want to come back and get beat up on short money at this point.

Again, nobody's necessarily "good" with that, but that's where we're at.

 

[slash83]

I don't blame Aiyuk for not wanting Brisset or Maye throwing him the ball.

They sound more appealing than a washed up Wilson and bum Fields.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

People seem to forget Gostkowski struggled some as a rookie before figuring it out and becoming a dependable kicker.

Ryland could fix himself, we’ll see.

I guess we have to Ry’ him out