Patriots HC Jerod Mayo stops short of discounting Brandon Aiyuk trade
The name of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been at the center of trade talks this off-season. Aiyuk officially requested a trade from the 49ers last week. There are rumors that the New England Patriots, led by Jerod Mayo, could be interested in acquiring Aiyuk as they require a wide receiver.
Patriots reporter Mark Daniels asked Mayo if the team would be interested in trading for a wide receiver. Mayo's response showed that the Pats could make a move for Aiyuk.
"We're always interested in getting the best players on our team," Mayo said.
Aiyuk is entering the last year of his five-year rookie deal, and the 49ers haven't extended him yet. He's coming off of a season where he had a career-high 1,342 receiving yards along with 75 catches and seven touchdowns.
After Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a four-year $120 million contract extension with the Detroit Lions, Mike Silver reported that Aiyuk is looking at a contract extension worth at least $28 million per season.
The 49ers were reportedly only willing to offer him a deal worth $26 million per year, falling short of Aiyuk's expectations.
What Patriots could offer in a Brandon Aiyuk trade
If the Niners do decide to part ways with Aiyuk, according to Bookies.com, the Pats have the fourth-best odds to acquire him.
Being a younger team with new leadership with Jerod Mayo as head coach, the Patriots would likely be aggressive in their pursuit of Aiyuk. New England has one pick in rounds 1–6 of next year's draft and three in the seventh round.
New England could offer the 49ers an early pick and a mid-round pick, such as a second or fourth-round pick for Aiyuk, but that's if San Francisco accepts it. New England could trade one of their better players plus a pick for Aiyuk, given they're a rebuilding team.
If Aiyuk were traded to New England, he would quickly become their number-one wide receiver. Kendrick Bourne is their number-one wide receiver at the moment, but he hasn't been as good.
Brandon Aiyuk would be targeted more and would be keyed in more to opposing defenses being on the Pats.
According to ProFootballTalk analyst Mike Florio, the New England Patriots were one of five teams to contact the San Francisco 49ers about a trade for Aiyuk. It's unclear what the San Francisco 49ers are seeking in return for Aiyuk, but a deal never happened.
Months later, Aiyuk and the 49ers have regressed, with Aiyuk officially requesting a trade last week. While he would like a trade, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will happen.
Deebo Samuel did the same thing a few seasons ago as leverage and got a new contract extension out of it. The same could happen with Aiyuk. Or the opposite could happen.
Do you think the New England Patriots should take a chance on trading for Brandon Aiyuk?