Why Colin Cowherd Wouldn’t Pay Patriots Target Brandon Aiyuk

Brandon Aiyuk finds himself at the center of the NFL universe with teams such as the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns pursuing him after reportedly agreeing to trade frameworks with the San Francisco 49ers.

Aiyuk is certainly among the more talented receivers in the sport, tallying over 1,300 yards last season as the 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII. His production is there, but is he in the top tier of stars wideouts?

FS1's Colin Cowherd doesn't believe so and cautioned against paying Aiyuk like one.

"He's not as good as Justin Jefferson," Cowherd offered on "The Herd" on Tuesday. "He's not as consistently productive as Davante Adams. I don't think he's as spectacular as Ja'Marr Chase. He wants to be paid like a top three or four receiver and I love his talent, but I wouldn't pay him."

Hours after Cowherd opposed paying him, the Patriots' pursuit also apparently came to a close.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday night that after the reported framework had been in place, the Patriots decided not to pursue any further trade talks for the standout wide receiver.

After losing out on DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans in the past calendar year, the Patriots could not cash in on their latest attempt to bring a top receiver to Foxboro to, as Eliot Wolf hoped to do to a higher degree, "weaponize" New England's offense.