As the Patriots head into another practice on Tuesday, there were some interesting developments overnight on Monday when it comes to disgruntled 49ers wideout, Brandon Aiyuk.
The veteran has been seeking a new deal with San Francisco and after talks stalled, Aiyuk has reportedly been pushing for a trade to a new team this offseason and it sounds like things may finally be close for him to get his wish.
According to NBC Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the framework is in place on a trade with both the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots, with both clubs reportedly agreeing to terms with San Francisco to consummate a deal to bring Aiyuk to their respective teams.
Now the only question is what team Aiyuk’s willing to play for, and whether or not either club can meet his demands on a new contract.
That’s where things may get complicated. Aiyuk is reportedly seeking a deal that will put him among the highest-paid players in the league, and depending on how large those demands might be, that’s likely going to make it tough for either club to agree to terms to get it done. That’s where Maiocco believes the ball is now in Aiyuk’s court, and this will end whenever he’s willing to accept the terms with his future team.
“I think that it will end whenever Brandon Aiyuk wants it to end,” said Maiocco during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston Monday night. “I think he has struggled with what exactly he wants I believe that if he wanted to take whatever the Cleveland Browns are offering him, which I’m under the impression that it’s a very good contract, the contract that he was demanding, I think this deal could have already been done.”
“And ultimately, what’s he going to do? What is he going to value? The opportunity to potentially win a Super Bowl this year with a team that he knows very well, the 49ers, where he’s certainly not the only playmaker on that team, or is it to be paid among the top wide receivers in the league and be the number one guy on offense? So it’s really up to him.”
“I think this deal could have been done over the weekend, to be honest with you. If he had signed off on the Cleveland Browns, now it’s a matter of we’re all waiting to see what Iuk wants to have done. I think the 49ers do have many offers, or at least my guess is they have the three offers from the teams that have been noted.”
The third team Maiocco is referring to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had been another club said to be in the mix and one report had even claimed a deal was done. However, they’re since said to be out of the mix, leaving just the Browns and Patriots as possible suitors.
What Will the Patriots Have to Give Up?
With the framework of the trade from the 49ers standpoint in place, the next question is what exactly the Patriots are going to be giving up in order to land the 26-year-old.
One part of this deal will likely be a draft choice, and the Patriots already reportedly made an attempt previously by offering a 2nd-round pick back in April to San Francisco for Aiyuk.
Whatever the cost is this time around from that standpoint has apparently been agreed upon by GM John Lynch, with the next question being who might need to be included from a player standpoint.
Matthew Judon and Kendrick Bourne are two names that have been tossed out there, while JuJu Smith-Schuster is also likely a player the Patriots would be happy to part with. However, Maiocco believes San Francisco would likely prefer to see the Browns win out due to the fact that a deal with Cleveland would potentially net them Amari Cooper, who Maiocco feels is likely the player they’d rather end up with.
“Well, what I would say is the most likely scenario, and the scenario the 49ers would like to play out, would be the Cleveland Browns because the Browns have somebody that they can offer in return for Brandon Ayuk, in addition to draft picks, that could step in and help the 49ers get to where they want to get, which is a Super Bowl, to get over the top,” he said. “The Cleveland receiver I’m referring to is Amari Cooper. When you look at the other teams that might be in the mix, the Patriots, who would they have to offer? The name that I’ve been hearing is Kendrick Bourne. Now, how’s Kendrick’s knee? How’s he coming along? The 49ers know him. But is he at the level of Brandon Aiyuk? Of course not. They would have to give the 49ers more compensation as far as draft picks than what Cleveland gives the 49ers.”
Regardless of how this plays out, Maiocco believes the pressure is on San Francisco to get this right, although he believes a deal will get done sooner than later.
“They can’t take a step back,” said Maiocco of the 49ers. “But now, just the way things are playing out, I think it is very much on the table that Brandon Ayuk is traded within, I don’t know, a very short period of time, I believe.”
How Will Aiyuk Fit in New England?
Having covered him and watched him play in San Francisco’s offense, Maiocco was asked how he believes Aiyuk might fit in here in New England.
He believes that the wideout is a player who is fundamentally a good player. The only question might be how he’ll handle being the top player after being further down the group with his current team.
“I think he’s a good fit anywhere,” said Maiocco. “He’s a good route runner. He has good hands. He’s improved every year. He’s been in the league. The question is with him, he’s been In a lot of ways, maybe the number four guy the teams have a game planned against since he’s been with the 49ers, how would he be as the person who’s the focal point of an offense where teams are trying to take him away? I think he would be just fine.”
“The question is just, where is he going to be most comfortable, and what does he value from his next team if there is a next team? He might very well decide that he wants to stay with the 49ers.”
Aiyuk would certainly round out what’s quickly turning into a fairly talented group of receivers for the Patriots. Demario Douglas was obviously outstanding last season, and based on what we’ve already seen, they appear to be flush with talent at that position after who they’ve added this offseason.
So far, rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have both had solid camps, with veteran K.J. Osborn also building momentum after another great performance on Monday.
Tyquan Thornton is also coming on as of late, and Kayshon Boutte has been another guy who has really looked solid thus far. Jalen Reagor has also continued to have his moments, with his value on special teams also being another key factor.
As a result, adding a player like Aiyuk would likely make all of those guys around him even more dangerous due to the type of player he is, giving the Patriots a young nucleus to build around with Drake Maye in the coming years.
49ers Have Motivation to Move Him
Maiocco talked about the complications behind the 49ers potentially keeping Aiyuk just a few weeks ago, with one key concern being whether or not extending the young receiver would be at the cost of keeping the rest of the team intact.
The club already has quarterback Brock Purdy as being a key name that they need to reach an agreement with on an extension, along with several other names. As a result, extending Aiyuk would come at the expense of other players, which has been part of what’s caused this to drag out.
“So I guess the only thing that makes me think that this is different, as opposed to those other guys that we’ve mentioned, [George] Kittle, [Fred] Warner, Deebo [Samuel], and [Nick] Bosa, is that I never once thought for a second that any of those guys were going anywhere,” said Maiocco last month. “Even when Deebo requested his trade, never even crossed my mind that the 49ers would trade him. This one is different because of the fact they were able and willing to sign those other guys. So when you mention Brock Purdy, and then, there’s also so many other guys.”
“There’s Dre Greenlaw, there’s Deommodore Lenoir, there’s Charvarius Ward, there’s Aaron Banks, who are on the final years of their contracts, Talanoa Hufanga. All those guys are in the final year of their contracts, and with the veterans already on the team, their salaries are rising. And I realize the salary cap rises too, and I realize that if [49ers EVP of Football Operations] Paraag Marathe wanted to, he could restructure contracts. He could push everything out, like a lot of credit card spending. But I don’t think the 49ers want to do that. I don’t think they want to just mortgage the future for this year. Some people might say that’s the best move because they’ve got their team intact right now.”
For now, given San Francisco’s history, the fact the framework is in place on a deal from that standpoint is somewhat of a surprise. But it at least clears one key hurdle in this process.
Whether or not the Patriots can meet Aiyuk’s demands is now the key question as everyone in New England anxiously awaits whether or not they’ll come out on top after Calvin Ridley was seemingly set on anywhere but Foxboro several months go.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
