'Let's Get Em!' Kendrick Bourne Suggests New England Patriots Trade for Brandon Aiyuk
Despite taking a “big swing” this offseason, the New England Patriots remain “splashless” in their pursuit of adding a top receiver. Aside from the signing of K.J. Osborn since their failed free-agent pursuit of Calvin Ridley, the Patriots have seemingly moved on from trying to add a receiver.
However, if it were up to Kendrick Bourne, the Patriots would be gearing up to potentially trade for his former San Francisco 49ers teammate and now star receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
“[Patriots] let’s get 'em! You getting all the targets u want!,” the Bourne wrote in response to a tweet about Aiyuk requesting a trade.
Despite the original tweet from the supposed Patriots fan and the initial report, Aiyuk has reportedly not requested a trade, according to his agent, Ryan Williams. Williams responded to a report that his 26-year-old client was looking to be traded by saying, “You need better sources.”
However, while there may not be a trade request, the rumors of him getting moved have not been pulled out of thin air. Rather, as he approaches the final year of his rookie deal, Aiyuk has been the subject of intense speculation for months now.
The rumors surrounding the 26-year-old date back to the aftermath of the Super Bowl, where Aiyuk’s “best” friend’s Instagram Story post complaining about the 26-year-old having just three catches in the Super Bowl went viral.
A month later, Aiyuk had his own Instagram story post go viral, as he seemingly replied cryptically to earlier comments from Niners general manager John Lynch. After Lynch denied rumors of the Niners trying to trade their young receiver, Aiyuk seemingly responded through his Instagram Story with a series of emojis, two of which included the bull and poop emojis.
It seems that despite Aiyuk coming off a career year where he led the Niners in receiving with 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, he could be heading into a similar situation as Tee Higgins, who reportedly requested a trade earlier this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.