Should Patriots Swing This Hypothetical Brandon Aiyuk Trade With 49ers?

The New England Patriots are playing the waiting game after reportedly agreeing to terms in the late hours of Monday night, on a trade for star wideout Brandon Aiyuk, currently of the San Francisco 49ers.

What the Patriots are willing to part ways with specifically remains unknown, although New England’s Kendrick Bourne has continuously surfaced as a presumed trading chip expected to head for San Francisco if a trade comes to fruition. Would Bourne alone be enough to pry Aiyuk away from the 49ers? Most likely not. Therefore, speculation is the only route to rely on until any ground-breaking developments see the light of day.

“I would think at least it would be a second (round pick) next year, Matthew Judon and possibly Kendrick Bourne,” Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard suggested on NBC Sports Boston’s “Boston Sports Tonight.” “… Keion White is ready to take over for Matthew Judon. Matthew Judon’s been a pain in the rear end, you get rid of that. Kendrick Bourne, I know San Francisco loves him. (49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan loves him. He’s still on PUP, I don’t think he’s coming off anytime soon. But if that’s an additional carrot, I go for it.”

Aiyuk — an obvious upgrade over Bourne — came just shy of a Super Bowl victory last season in San Francisco. Yet, following an offseason of both sides failing to find common ground on a long-term extension, the 26-year-old’s availability sprung out of the ground, prompting teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns to rush to the negotiations table. New England, who’s also been in the mix having eyed Aiyuk for the past few months, could provide him with two key incentives in Foxboro: The opportunity to be one of the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers and the role of being the team’s No. 1 option. Enticing enough? We’ll see.

Last season, Aiyuk tallied a career-high 1,342 receiving yards with San Francisco while also totaling seven touchdowns on 105 targets. That level of production could potentially do wonders by New England’s fresh new core of quarterbacks — Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye and Joe Milton III — as first-year head coach Jerod Mayo looks to repair the franchise’s identity. It was (very) clear that entering the offseason the Patriots needed some form of star power along with a quarterback to guide the team’s future. Training camp and preseason action will perhaps indicate that second priority, but investing in Aiyuk will be the biggest tell sign that the Patriots aren’t content will the dark cloud that’s hovered over Gillette Stadium ever since Tom Brady’s departure in 2020.

It’s up to Aiyuk whether to pack his bags for New England or Cleveland