Although disgruntled 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk officially requested a trade earlier this week, it looks like San Francisco shopped around for deals well prior to that.
And it appears the New England Patriots were among a few teams in line early to try to acquire Brandon Aiyuk.
Pro Football Focus’ Mike Florio reported Saturday night the Patriots offered a second-round pick to the 49ers for Aiyuk — Florio didn’t specify what year the pick was in — but San Francisco declined.
Florio also noted the Patriots were one of five teams ready to give Aiyuk the massive payday he seeks, which is why he wants out of San Francisco as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
“At the time, the magic number was in the neighborhood of $28 million per year,” Florio wrote. “That quite possibly has changed, given the market-shifting deal given by the Vikings to receiver Justin Jefferson.”
Jefferson in June signed a lucrative four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings that will pay him $35 million per season and comes with $110 million in guaranteed money, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
The Patriots have been willing to shell out the dough for a top wide receiver this offseason, but haven’t landed one yet. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported New England offered Calvin Ridley around $22 million per season in its failed pursuit of the wideout in free agency.
But it’s unclear if the Patriots are willing to move north of $28 million and meet the 49ers’ demands to get Aiyuk. New England isn’t the only suitor for the 26-year-old, either. Florio reported the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders might still be interested in Aiyuk.
The Arizona State product is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has totaled 25 receiving touchdowns in his career. Aiyuk would immediately become the top option in New England’s offense and be quite the gift for Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, to throw to in the future.
The Patriots might have moved on from their quest to trade for Aiyuk, though. New England used its second-round pick in this year’s draft on Ja’Lynn Polk and also picked up Javon Baker in the fourth round.
