NFL analyst names potential East Coast landing spot for Brandon Aiyuk (and it isn’t the Washington Commanders)
Brandon Aiyuk has been connected to the Washington Commanders for quite some time. While no official plans have been made, the wide receiver's future with the San Francisco 49ers remains in doubt. Until a conclusion or a trade is made, more options remain open apart from the Commanders. At least, that is what one NFL analyst believes.
Speaking on Wednesday's edition of "Get Up," NFL analyst Louis Riddick named the New England Patriots as a potential destination:
"If I'm Eliot Wolf (VP of player personnel) up there in New England, I'm going, 'so what will it cost us? What might it be? Because Drake Maye sure would like to be able to throw to Brandon Aiyuk. And we have some salary cap space and we have some draft picks,'" he said. (Time stamp: 3:12)
Such a trade would be a blockbuster move for the Patriots. The 49ers have made big trades before, such as acquiring Chrisitan McCaffrey and moving up to select Trey Lance.
Exploring Brandon Aiyuk's potential fit with New England Patriots
Currently, the Patriots have Kendrick Bourne, formerly of Eastern Washington, slotted in as the team's top wide receiver as per ESPN's depth chart. JuJu Smith-Schuster might have a shot to win the starting role, but he is currently buried on the depth chart. Put simply, the Patriots have a competitive situation at wide receiver.
Adding Brandon Aiyuk would lighten some of the team's receiver concerns. While there would still be questions about depth, given his stats, Aiyuk would likely instantly nab the top spot on the chart.
That said, the longer the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots wait to trade Bradon Aiyuk, the harder it will be for him to learn the playbook before the season starts. If traded now, Aiyuk might not skip a beat. However, if the trade occurs deep in August, the Patriots might have to deal with a receiver still getting up to speed when the games count.