The New England Patriots are stubborn in pursuing elite wide receiver talent this offseason. The Patriots have one of the league’s best defenses, but they have bottom-of-the-barrel help to put around rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
The New England Patriots wanted to trade for a WR this spring
As previously discussed on GH, the Patriots attempted to trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown before April’s draft:
A.J. Brown caused a stir on social media when he changed his profile photo on X to Tom Brady in a Patriots uniform. Browns’ choice of photo caused some people to believe he was hinting at a trade to New England. Brown denied the rumor
While a trade might not be coming, there is smoke surrounding Brown and the Patriots. Albert Breer with Sports Illustrated confirmed in an appearance on NBC Sports Boston that the Eagles have received calls from teams wanting to trade for Brown. The Patriots were one of the teams that inquired about a potential Brown Trade.
Brown would go on to sign a contract extension with the Eagles.
The Patriots contacted the San Francisco 49ers about a trade
The Patriots could be buyers in a receiver trade before the deadline in the regular season. According to Josina Anderson, the Patriots recently contracted the San Francisco 49ers about trading for Brandon AIyuk:
I’m told within the last couple of weeks the #Patriots reached out to the #49ers inquiring about WR Brandon Aiyuk again and were told the talented wide receiver was not being traded at the time, per source.
Aiyuk wasn’t technically on the market when the Patriots inquired about Aiyuk. However, Aiyuk’s status changed on Tuesday. Aiyuk officially requested a trade from the 49ers as the two sides are far apart on terms with days to go before training camp begins.
It’s still a long shot that Aiyuk will wear a Patriots uniform this season. The 49ers have all the leverage they need to force Aiyuk to play in San Francisco if they want to, including applying the franchise tag in the following offseason.
The 49ers do not plan to trade Aiyuk
Per Adam Schefter with ESPN, the 49ers have told teams inquiring about a potential trade that they do not intend to deal Aiyuk:
Other teams that have reached out and spoken to San Francisco have been told that the 49ers have no intention of trading disgruntled WR Brandon Ayiuk, who officially has requested a trade. 49ers open training camp next week.
