Wednesday Patriots Notebook 7/17: News and Notes
Is Brandon Aiyuk going to the Patriots? Knowing how the 49ers operate, that feels unlikely.
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Some Patriots news on this Wednesday:
While disgruntled 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk may have formally requested a trade, it sounds like San Francisco – as usual – isn’t prepared to acquiesce to his request.
However, that apparently didn’t stop the Patriots from kicking the tires on what the 49ers might have been seeking. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, New England has inquired on Aiyuk, but was told he was not being traded.
Anderson said that discussion took place “within the last couple of weeks,” which is when the 49ers rebuffed the Patriots’ interest.
Not that there’s any real surprise there. Trading Aiyuk likely isn’t a consideration, especially for both GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who are each likely feeling some heat when it comes to trying to get that team over the hump.
After two failed Super Bowl appearances in a city that now has significant expectations, moving a player who could potentially play a part in helping them win a championship probably isn’t on their to-do list.
At the same time, something has to give. According to reports, the talks stalled back in May, and the 49ers apparently haven’t made any further offers since. That has Aiyuk, who is currently slated to earn just over $14 million after the club exercised his fifth-year option, extremely frustrated.
He’s reportedly seeking a salary worth $30 million annually, with the deal signed by Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown being the benchmark for a potential new deal.
Given San Francisco’s history, the likelihood of Aiyuk being moved at all is probably slim. They’re notorious for sticking to their guns while garnering too high of an asking price on the trade market and holding the player hostage. That’s ultimately seen them allow said player to hit free agency while getting nothing, save for a compensatory pick, in return.
The most memorable situation involved Jimmy Garoppolo, who was highly coveted by former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The 49ers reportedly stuck to their guns and demanded a first-round pick for Garoppolo, which Belichick wisely declined. So the team shifted gears in 2021 and drafted Mac Jones, while Garoppolo eventually left in free agency. The 49ers never got the first-round selection they were seeking, instead receiving a 3rd round compensatory pick after the quarterback passed his physical in Las Vegas.
You can argue the selection of Jones, but knowing Garoppolo’s injury history and how things played out on his end, the decision not to spend a first-round pick on him still proved to be a smart one.
With that in mind, it’s probably safe to say San Francisco will set a high bar for any team inquiring on Aiyuk, which will likely mean he’ll end up staying put. They went down this road two years ago with Deebo Samuel after he also requested a trade during what was another contentious negotiation. In the end, the two sides did agree on a new deal, but the road to get there was certainly a rough one.
During a segment on The Insiders on Tuesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport said that he also doesn’t believe Aiyuk is going anywhere.
“Look, it’s hard for me to imagine, absent some crazy situation or someone offering them a premium first-round pick, hard to imagine the 49ers actually trade Brandon Aiyuk,” said Rapoport as transcribed by 49ersWebZone’s David Bonilla, “Mainly because they’re a very good team and rarely do very good teams trade very good players right before a season where they’re trying to reach the Super Bowl and win it.”
“But if Brandon Aiyuk wanted to let the 49ers know that all is not well, he is very upset, there is a lot of discontent, a trade request is a great way to say it.”
Will he stay away from training camp? That’s clearly the next question. Samuel staged a “hold-in” during his own negotiations, which is potentially what might happen with Aiyuk, who skipped minicamp and reportedly accrued $101,000 in fines due to his absence. He would be subject to fines of $50,000 per missed practice in training camp.
“Very clearly, Brandon Aiyuk is not thrilled with the way things are going and did one of the couple of things that he can do,” said Rapoport. “Next question, of course, would be, does he stay away from training camp? How upset is he? We will find out.”
Either way, the 49ers clearly seem to have a playbook in place as they deal with yet another disgruntled player. Their success on the field has done a reasonably good job of quelling these discussions, with each guy either getting extended or, at the very least, playing out the final year of their respective deals.
Whether or not that holds true in this case remains to be seen. But if Aiyuk has any hope of getting what he wants, it would be surprising if it happened before the end of this upcoming season.
That means the chances of him ending up in New England in 2024 also feel slim, with next spring being the earliest possibility – and that’s provided he’s not hit with the franchise tag – of seeing him become a Patriot.
The Patriots announced five new additions to their personnel department on Tuesday, along with four in-house promotions.
According to the team, Alonzo Highsmith – a long-time key colleague of Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf – was officially hired as a senior personnel executive. Highsmith and Wolf previously worked together both in Green Bay and Cleveland, with the two experiencing a fair amount of success together over that span. The fact they were reunited here was no surprise, and Highsmith’s addition quietly remains one of the more underrated moves of this offseason.
The team also hired Casey Belongia as an area scout, while Bob Kronenberg was added as a pro scout. Both A.J. Richardson and Landon Simpson were also named scouting assistants.
The club also promoted four staff members, with Patrick Stewart being named director of pro personnel, while Sam Fioroni has been promoted to assistant director of pro personnel. The team also promoted Marshall Oium to director of football strategy, while Marquis Dickerson was promoted as a pro scout.
The moves now bring the personnel department to 27 staff members, up from 22 in 2022 and 25 in 2023.
The Patriots have seemingly made an addition to their international staff, with Lara Magalhaes announcing on her Instagram account that she’ll be managing the expansion efforts of the team in Brazil. “The opportunity to lead the Brazilian soil expansion of one of the most successful teams in the NFL, showcase my expertise and management skills in a highly competitive environment will never be something simple,” she wrote on Instagram (as translated). “Through my presence as manager of the New England Patriots in Brazil I have as one of main goals to inspire other women to pursue careers in the sport and show that there is no limit to what they can achieve. I aspire to be an example of female leadership and empowerment, contributing to diversity and inclusion in the world of sports.” … The recent buzz about Davante Adams potentially ending up in New York with the Jets has got people talking, but his agents spoke out against the rumors this week. Agents Kenny Chapman and Frank Bauer said, “This is baseless, unfounded speculation and Davante is expected to be with the Raiders as there has been absolutely no trade talk — period,” they said via ESPN, likely quieting any further discussion. … It’s been a minute since the name Frank Bauer has popped up in these parts. Anyone who recalls the contentious negotiations with Logan Mankins likely remembers Bauer’s name, who was far and away one of the more vocal agents in recent memory during the negotiations that took place during that 2011 offseason. That came after the team placed the franchise tag on Mankins, which at the time was worth an impressive $10.1 million, which he initially didn’t sign. Eventually the team signed him to a 6-year deal.
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Aiyuk has stats. With SF’s offense that is. But if your giving a high 1st rounder in 2025, and paying the guy 30M/year, he would have to be an impact player, that demands double teams. That’s the key measure – must demand safety help over the top. Second is, does he “take the roof off” the D? Keep the D from putting 8 in the box (a problem for the pats the last 3-4 years) and or heavy blitzing leaving 1 on 1 with no safety behind at all. I don’t see any of that pop out on on highlights… Read more »