Patriots' Lack of 'Great Vibe' Led to Leaving Brandon Aiyuk Sweepstakes

The New England Patriots chose to drop out of the race for the latest NFL trade rumor.

Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch for a 76-yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots made headlines across the NFL this week after their short entry and exit in the latest Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors.

After it was reported on Monday that the Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers had come to terms on an agreed trade to send Aiyuk to Foxboro, awaiting the star WR to agree to terms on a new contract, we came to find out that New England had ultimately decided to take their name out of the running, instead focusing on their current core of weapons.

It raised some questions as to why the Patriots opted to leave the Aiyuk discussions, but we're starting to gain a better understanding of why the situation panned out the way it did. ESPN insider Adam Schefter provided some context for the fallout, noting that New England got a bad vibe from the deal and pivoted in another direction:

"New England had the parameters of a trade in place with San Francisco. That wasn’t the issue. They weren’t getting a great vibe here as they tried to conduct communication with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent. And the longer it went on, the worse they felt about it. And eventually they said, ‘What are we doing here? Let’s just focus in on the young receivers that we have."

- Adam Schefter, via ESPN

The lack of interest from Aiyuk comes after he had reported disinterest in coming to New England, even with an enormous reported contract offer of upwards of $32 million-- a deal that would make him tied for the second-highest-paid WR in the NFL in terms of AAV, per OverTheCap.

It's a high price tag to place on Aiyuk and one that likely needed to be met to have a realistic shot at bringing him into New England, but regardless, the numbers presented to him weren't enough to sway him, leading to the Patriots front office cutting their losses and moving onto plan B.

Instead, the Patriots can hone in on their emerging young talent at receiver, especially within their two rookies at the position, Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Rather than bring in a high-volume, expensive option to enter as the WR1 of this offense, New England can bank on drafting and developing their guys in the building, and swing on another big name on the trade market further down the line, if they so choose.

Aiyuk would've been a tremendous upgrade at wide receiver, and the best name the Patriots have had at the position in the past half-decade. In his last season in San Francisco, he posted 75 receptions, 1,342 reception yards, and seven touchdowns. He would've been an instant spark into this struggling offense from 2023. No doubt. However, it looks like the slower approach is on the way in New England.

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