49ers’ Aiyuk could be perfect trade option for WR-thirsty Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The New England Patriots most definitely are in the market for an “X” wide receiver.
They chased Calvin Ridley in NFL free agency. They made inquiries with the Philadelphia Eagles about the availability of A.J. Brown.
Meanwhile, the money unspent on Ridley is part of the Patriots’ $54 million in cap space that remains. That’s the NFL’s highest figure by a healthy amount, and while the team will eventually roll some of that into 2025 (the Patriots were 31st and 27th in the NFL in cap money rolled over the past two seasons, with $1.119 million into the 2023 cap and $529,000 into this year’s cap), they need to spend to the 89 percent cap “floor” this year which is just over $200 million of the $225 million cap.
If the Patriots stick and pick a quarterback at No. 3 – which is the overwhelming likelihood unless Minnesota blows them away – their next pick is No. 34. That pick would likely be the carrot they can dangle in front of a team like San Francisco, home to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
a deal that would send Brock Purdy’s favorite target to another team.”
Silver added that, “Such a deal might become more enticing to Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan if that pick were near the start of the second round and packaged with another selection — say, a 2025 third-rounder.”
Any deal the Patriots make needs to be contingent on their being sure they can sign Aiyuk to a long-term contract.
“I want Aiyuk,” Bourne said. “He’s my guy, and I think he’ll fit in. Just being a one-on-one receiver at X. He can take a whole half of the field and dominate and create a lot of attention for himself.