The New England Patriots have reportedly dropped out of the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, and that could be because there was nothing they could do to convince the star wide receiver to play for them.
Aiyuk has been given permission to negotiate contract extensions with teams in order to potentially pave the way for a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, no team was willing to offer Aiyuk more on a new deal than the Patriots.
The Patriots reportedly made an offer to Aiyuk that exceeded $30 million per year. That would have made the 26-year-old one of the five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. The belief is that New England was willing to give up the draft capital the 49ers have been seeking and also could have included wide receiver Kendrick Bourne in the deal, but Aiyuk does not want to play for the Patriots.
Aiyuk might be willing to give one team that has interest in him a discount. That team would still have to put together a trade package that the 49ers deem fair, and there is no guarantee of that happening.
The Patriots have been looking to add a top wide receiver for a while now, but they are having a difficult time finding one to accept a deal in the post-Tom Brady era. We saw a similar situation unfold when New England tried to sign Calvin Ridley in free agency this offseason.
