National Football League

Patriots reportedly out of running for 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk as WR trade talks continue

Published Aug. 7, 2024 10:45 a.m. ET

The New England Patriots are out of the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes.

After Aiyuk turned down the Patriots' extension offer, the Patriots opted to no longer pursue a trade for the star receiver, ESPN reported. New England was prepared to make the highest contract offer to Aiyuk out of all the teams pursuing him, giving him a proposal that would've paid him over $30 million per year, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. That mark would've made Aiyuk one of the five-highest paid receivers in the NFL on an annual basis.

However, Aiyuk didn't show an interest in signing any deal with the Patriots, NBC Sports Bay Area reported.

It was previously reported that the Patriots were one of two teams, along with the Cleveland Browns that negotiated the possible framework of a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for Aiyuk. Additionally, New England reportedly received permission to hammer out a possible contract extension with Aiyuk.

It isn't clear what the Patriots' trade offer for Aiyuk was. However, it was rumored that former 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne would head back to the Bay Area as part of the deal.

The Patriots have been linked to Aiyuk for much of the offseason and into training camp as the receiver has been holding in. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo wouldn't discuss the team's pursuit of Aiyuk though when he met with reporters on Tuesday.

"I know what all of you guys want to know," Mayo said. "One thing I did learn from Bill [Belichick] is that I don't talk about players on other teams. So, just let me go ahead and say that now."

Mayo also said that he had spoken with Bourne earlier in the day as his name had emerged in trade talks, calling it a "good conversation.

With New England out of the picture, all eyes turn to the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the Aiyuk sweepstakes. The Browns have also received permission to negotiate a deal with the receiver, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. The team would be expected to give up former Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper in a deal for Aiyuk, Cleveland.com reported.

The Steelers, meanwhile, reportedly haven't made it as far as the Browns have and the Patriots did in trade talks for Aiyuk. But they re-engaged with the 49ers on Tuesday after talks had stalled on Monday, ESPN reported.

Even though trade talks surrounding Aiyuk have heated up, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday that a resolution still isn't close to happening.

49ers still NFC favorites if they trade Brandon Aiyuk?

"I mean, you also want it to be [resolved] badly, but this stuff does take time," Shanahan said. "Every day I hope it gets resolved, but I have no timetable on it, didn't surprise me coming into this. I'm going about coaching our team, getting them ready for Week 1, and hopefully, it'll get resolved sooner rather than later.

"I'm not going into any specifics with offers, contracts, trades, anything like that. But what I can tell you guys is nothing has changed," Shanahan added. "A lot was out yesterday and stuff, but from the situation that we're in with Brandon, nothing's changed."

Aiyuk has been in a contract dispute with the 49ers for pretty much the entirety of the offseason, putting the possibility that he'd leave San Francisco on the table shortly after the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He reportedly requested a trade a week before the start of training camp.

Aiyuk is coming off arguably the best season of his career, recording 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2023 regular season. He's entering the final year of his rookie deal and is presumably looking for a top-of-the-market deal after several top receivers signed historic extensions this offseason.

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