The New England Patriots gave it their best shot to acquire star receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, but in the end, things just didn't work out.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday night that the Patriots would not pursue any further trade talks with the 49ers regarding Aiyuk.
"Patriots are excited about their young receivers and want to focus on them," Schefter wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
However, that wasn't the full story.
NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco added that the Patriots had an agreement in place with San Francisco along with a large offer to Aiyuk.
“The Patriots were prepared to offer the largest deal of the teams who pursued Aiyuk,” Maiocco wrote. “Two sources told NBC Sports Bay Area that New England’s proposal topped $30 million a year.”
However, the receiver was the one that put a stop to it, not showing any interest in going to New England.
The Patriots were one of three teams who were interested in Aiyuk, and have been trying to get the receiver for months. They were willing to make him one of the top five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, ESPN reports.
Now the only two teams that are still in the running are the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he could also end up staying with the 49ers. So we'll see where Aiyuk lands.
Eliot Wolf is not to blame
The Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has been aggressive in his pursuit for a star receiver on the roster, and the inability to acquire one is not his fault.
DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and now Brandon Aiyuk have all been on the Patriots' list. But the issue is not the offers on the tables.
It's that New England is no longer a hot destination for these players. They have a rookie coach, a rookie quarterback, and a young receiving room. Going to the Patriots is going to a team that is in a rebuild.
The team will have to use the 2024 season to prove that they are a competitive franchise in order to get a star receiver next offseason.
Head coach Jerod Mayo came out and spoke with the media prior to Tuesday's training camp practice, and started the press conference addressing the rumors.
“I know what you guys want to know," he stated, "One thing I did learn from Bill is I don’t talk about players from other teams.”
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