Kendrick Bourne is Recruiting Brandon Aiyuk to Play for the Patriots

Bourne and Aiyuk were teammates on the 49ers in 2020 when Aiyuk was a rookie, so they know each other well.

If the 49ers don't want to pay Brandon Aiyuk, the Patriots might be willing to take him off their hands.

Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has been actively recruiting Aiyuk to play for the Patriots recently on social media. Bourne and Aiyuk were teammates on the 49ers in 2020 when Aiyuk was a rookie, so they know each other well.

The Patriots currently have pick nos. 34 and 68 in the upcoming draft. If they were to trade both of those picks, combined they would be the equivalent of pick no. 21 in Round 1 according to the trade value chart.

It's unclear if the 49ers even are willing to trade AIyuk. They might eventually give him what he wants, or make him play out the final year of his rookie contract and then let him walk in free agency next year. If they trade him now, they most likely would take a significant step back during perhaps the final year of their current Super Bowl window.

But the 49ers already are paying almost $24 million per season for Deebo Samuel, and very few teams pay top dollar for two wide receivers. Not to mention that the 49ers will give Brock Purdy an extension next year that will be worth more than $50 million per year, so the 49ers have some difficult decisions to make with Aiyuk.

Meanwhile, the Patriots will draft their starting quarterback this year, so they can afford an expensive wide receiver such as Aiyuk for the next four years.

I'm not saying the 49ers will trade Aiyuk. But if they do, the Patriots would make sense as a trade partner.