Adam Schefter Shares New Details On Patriots Ending Brandon Aiyuk Pursuit

The Patriots satisfied one of the essential parties in Brandon Aiyuk trade negotiations.

Unfortunately for New England, it wasn’t able to check the other box.

After initially being portrayed as a frontrunner to acquire Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, the Patriots on Tuesday night reportedly ended their pursuit of the star wide receiver. In a follow-up hit on “SportsCenter,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter outlined what led to Eliot Wolf and company changing directions.

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

“Rather than go ahead and give up a huge amount of compensation to the 49ers — after or before giving up what would be a huge contract to Brandon Aiyuk that he didn’t seem overly receptive about getting — they said, ‘We’re just going to stand pat and stand down.’ So, the Patriots have bowed out and they will not be pursuing any further trade for Brandon Aiyuk.”

New England fans should be pretty discouraged by Schefter’s report. Would Aiyuk have been a superstar in Foxboro, Mass.? Who knows. But it’s concerning that the Patriots weren’t able to sell themselves to a player even with heaps of cash on the table.

Gillette Stadium no longer is an appealing destination for top talents, and it’s now on the folks working at One Patriot Place to change that perception.