Patriots HC Jerod Mayo refuses to address Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors owing to Bill Belichick lesson
It appears the San Francisco 49ers are getting closer to trading wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if a trade was announced in the next few days.
While the rumors are running rampant, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo won't be commenting on whether his team is a contender.
The first-year head coach spoke to reporters at the start of training camp practice on Tuesday morning. He said that he plans on taking a lesson he learned from Bill Belichick and won't discuss players on other teams.
“One thing I learned from Bill: I don’t talk about players on other teams.”-Jerod Mayo told reporters
Mayo also addressed the rumors that wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was being traded to the San Francisco 49ers as part of the Brandon Aiyuk deal. Mayo said that after the rumors surfaced on Monday night, he spoke with Bourne.
“Honestly, I did talk to him this morning and it was a good conversation. And once again, I feel like the story is so much further along than anything else. I just wanted to make sure we cleared the air. And I do believe in being transparent with the players and really just setting those guys at ease.”
Mayo didn't confirm nor deny whether Bourne could be on the move, he confirmed that they cleared the air and made sure everyone was on the same page.
Which NFL teams are in play for Brandon Aiyuk?
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots are said to be front runners in a trade for Brandon Aiyuk. Both teams could use a playmaker on the offense but the return for the wide receiver is expected to be hefty.
As ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter reported, Aiyuk was granted the ability to work out his own trade. This means the return is something that both San Francisco and Brandon Aiyuk have to agree to.
"This is not a simple trade to execute. Any interested team would have to meet the asking price of Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers. It’s easy to meet one of those conditions but considerably more complicated to meet both. So far, no one has been able to do it."
Schefter also reported that the Cleveland Browns were said to be a contender. But NFL Insider Rickey shared on X that Aiyuk reportedly turned down a trade there. He also said that the 26-year-old is uninterested in playing in New England.
NFL fans will have to wait and see what type of trade comes to fruition and if the Steelers end up adding Aiyuk.