© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA
Patriots Among Teams Linked to Brandon Aiyuk Trade With 49ers
With the San Francisco 49ers' selection, the New England Patriots could have the chance to make a big-time move.
As the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft wraps up with several surprises throughout Thursday night, it appears that there could be some more fireworks around the league soon to come for day two, especially for the New England Patriots.
A new franchise quarterback in Drake Maye may be entering the mix for next season, but the front office might not be finished bolstering the offensive side of the ball just yet.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (and Taylor Kyles on X), the Patriots are a team that could be in the market to trade for San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk in a deal involving New England's second-round pick on Friday. The Washington Commanders are also a squad that has arisen as a potential destination for the four-year veteran.
Given that the 49ers made the move to select Florida WR Ricky Pearsall with their 31st overall pick, it makes the prospects of a trade involving one of their top receiving options in Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel much more likely.
Aiyuk is sitting on the last year of his existing deal with the 49ers, placing him on the open market for the spring of 2025. Without a long-term contract agreement in place and a new rookie coming into play, the perfect storm is brewing for the Patriots to get themselves involved for a blockbuster.
New England needs to prioritize surrounding their franchise quarterback with serviceable weapons, and Aiyuk would bring more than enough juice as a WR1. He's coming off a strong season in San Francisco, where he secured 1,342 reception yards, 75 receptions, and seven touchdowns, hauling in a career-best 71.4% catch rate.
For reference, the last time the Patriots had a pass catcher amass Aiyuk's receiving yards line was during the 2012 season when Wes Welker was still in Foxboro catching balls from 35-year-old Tom Brady. Simply, New England is long overdue for a game-changing weapon, and the 49ers' current situation could present the perfect time to bring one in.
The Patriots hold their selection atop the second round on Friday night, which could be some compelling trade bait for San Francisco to bite on in the event they ship Aiyuk off this weekend. If the Commanders, or any other team, gets involved in the bidding, it could add a thin layer of difficulty for New England to facilitate. However, it may be enough to push the needle forward for the 49ers as much as the 34th-overall pick does.
If the Patriots were to escape the draft with a haul of Maye, Aiyuk, and some other talented rookies added down the board (an offensive tackle, preferably), New England could walk out regarding this weekend a raging success. But time will only tell if everything manages to fall into place for Jerod Mayo and Co.
Keep all hands on deck as the Patriots will continue to move through the draft process starting on Friday at 7 PM ET in Detroit with several major moves to come on the horizon.
