Patriots' failed pursuit of Brandon Aiyuk highlights added layer of pressure on Jerod Mayo, Drake Maye

It wasn't that long ago when the New England Patriots were the destination in the NFL . For those who wanted to work alongside the greatest quarterback of all time and under the greatest head coach of all time to compete for a championship, 1 Patriot Place was the place to be. However, if these last few months are any indication, times have certainly changed.

New England is embarking into a new era after parting ways with Bill Belichick this offseason and has ushered in a new regime led by head coach Jerod Mayo and vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf. On the player side, No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye is the beacon that the franchise is hanging its hopes on for the foreseeable future. While that may breathe some freshness into the club, it also brings with it some uncertainty about what this team is and where it's ultimately going.

That last point makes the Patriots a difficult draw when pursuing top talent, which was evident this offseason as they hunted for a No. 1 wide receiver. The club made an aggressive push for former Jaguars star wideout Calvin Ridley in free agency, but was rebuffed as he opted to sign with the Tennessee Titans . Even last summer, New England went deep down the rabbit hole to try and land veteran DeAndre Hopkins and struck out.

More recently, the Patriots seemed to be in the thick of trade talks for Brandon Aiyuk after the San Francisco 49ers allowed the 2023 All-Pro to seek a new home following failed extension talks. New England had reportedly negotiated the framework of a deal with the Niners for Aiyuk and was willing to make him one of the top five highest-paid receivers in the league. All the boxes are checked, right? Not quite. Despite seemingly getting onto the goal line, the franchise has since dropped its pursuit .

If we're being honest, that has more of a "You can't fire me because I quit!" vibe than it does New England simply falling out of love with the player. If we take these reports at face value and read between the lines, Aiyuk was disinterested in the Patriots and the Patriots snuck out of the side door of the church before they were left at the altar.

While simply losing out on a talented player stings in itself, it also is the latest reminder of the bigger issue -- the Patriots have an image problem. The franchise is entering Year 5 of the post-Tom Brady era and doesn't have much to show for it. In that time, they've gone 29-38 and were below .500 in three of those four seasons. This year, they have an over/under win total of 4.5 (at FanDuel Sportsbook), which is the lowest in the NFL. In this "What have you done for me lately?" league, that résumé isn't going to endear any player worth his weight to jump aboard.

This is where the pressure builds on the first-year head coach and rookie quarterback. Of course, they were already tasked with resurrecting the franchise back into a contender, but they now need to simply turn themselves into an organization where star players want to be, which comes hand-in-hand.

If, by this time next year, New England can rest on a promising young coach and a former top-three overall pick at quarterback who flashed when he got an opportunity as a rookie, they are suddenly a franchise to buy in on instead of where they sit now as they possibly plummet to the bottom of the standings yet again.

It's similar a road the Houston Texans just went down with DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud , who have flipped their club's reputation overnight. If those two falter, the team is stuck relying on hitting the lottery in the NFL Draft for top talent at the skill positions, continuing to cut off key avenues -- free agency and trade -- to get them back in contention.

So, as much as the 2024 season in New England may be about Maye's development and Mayo setting a foundation as a first-year head coach, the macro goal should be getting this franchise back to being a viable destination, which it currently isn't.