A new contender has emerged in the Brandon Aiyuk trade sweepstakes that may or may not actually be a thing!
Typically since the draft the Steelers have been the team most often included in the Aiyuk trade chatter. Now the New England Patriots are the team that would hypothetically benefit from Aiyuk’s services.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Thursday floated Aiyuk as a trade idea for the wide receiver-needy Patriots. He posits that if either Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett are going to succeed, they’ll need a proven No. 1 WR and suggests New England call the 49ers about acquiring their star pass catcher.
It’s a hard point to argue. Aiyuk is very good and having a player like him would help any offense, particularly one like New England’s which is sorely lacking talent at receiver.
We’ve already run through what a trade with the Steelers might look like. It would take an offer San Francisco couldn’t refuse. If New England wanted to ship out a package like cornerback Christian Gonzalez and a 2025 first-round pick, the 49ers would certainly listen.
This isn’t the first time the Pats and 49ers have been involved in trade discourse. During they were connected plenty, particularly on Day 2 of the draft, when word was floating around that either Deebo Samuel or Aiyuk were available for the right price.
There hasn’t been any hard reporting that Aiyuk is being shopped, but he’s an All-Pro wide receiver who is perceived to be available since he’s still negotiating a long-term extension with the 49ers. The only real reporting on the Aiyuk situation recently has come from Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, both of whom reported the negotiations are still ongoing and that San Francisco wants to keep the receiver. That’s why the price in any deal with the Steelers, Patriots or otherwise would be so exorbitant.
Until a deal is done though the trade discourse will continue. And if a team like New England wants to make the 49ers an offer they can’t refuse, then perhaps the hypothetical trade scenarios become real.
