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The New England Patriots have a “golden opportunity” to land All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, an NFL analyst said this week.
With talks over a trade for A.J. Brown now reportedly on “pause,” the New England Patriots could pivot to a new option at wide receiver if Brandon Aiyuk is released after June 1, a top NFL analyst said Thursday. That timing could leave the Patriots with a narrow window to act before the market resets.
The San Francisco 49ers and Aiyuk feuded throughout last season, culminating in the 28-year-old, second-team All-Pro effectively disappearing from the team after a severe knee injury, and the 49ers voiding nearly $25 million in guaranteed money due to Aiyuk in 2026. The situation is obviously ugly for the 49ers, but for the Patriots, the Aiyuk situation presents a “golden opportunity,” according to analyst Jace Andrews, who hosts the Patriots Digest podcast for the Chat Sports network. The potential timing could give New England a clear fallback option if its pursuit of A.J. Brown stalls.
That scenario is exactly what one NFL analyst believes could unfold.
“Why exactly does this portray a golden opportunity? Well, the simple fact is, right now, the Niners continue to hold on to Aiyuk, and they’re not going to release him,” Andrews said on the Thursday Patriots Digest.
But according to a report by Mike Ginnitti, an analyst for the sports business site Spotrac, the only reason that the 49ers are refusing to cut Aiyuk loose is that they would obtain significant salary cap relief if they hold on to him at least until June 2.
And that’s where the Patriots come in.
Patriots Next Move on Aiyuk
According to Andrews, once San Francisco parts ways with Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension before the 2024 season, the Patriots could move in and sign the two-time 1,000-yard receiver at an economical rate.
“I don’t see a way where this hasn’t been a nightmare for Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers to the point where they’re going to try and release him late because they want him to not sign somewhere on a big deal. They want him to go away,” Andrews said on the podcast. “And now it’s a situation where you could get him for probably a cheap one-year contract.”
The Patriots are in the market for a true No. 1 wide receiver to fully maximize the talents of last year’s NFL MVP runner-up, quarterback Drake Maye.
Would Aiyuk Help Drake Maye to the Next Step?
In his second year, which was also his first full season under center for New England, Maye topped the league with a 72% completion percentage and 8.9 yards per pass attempt. Maye ranked No. 1 in explosive-play efficiency on passes with a 129.1 rating.
And he did it without a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, making a link-up with Aiyuk a natural progression.
“Aiyuk could easily sign with a contender — i.e., the Patriots — and go out there and make himself a career,” Andrews said. “And not just a career, but even just a season here in New England would be something that I think he’d be very happy about.”
Aiyuk’s production dropped off steeply after his knee injury, but in 2022 and 2023, the 49ers’ 2020 first-round draft pick, 25th overall out of Arizona State, recorded 1,015 and 1,342 receiving yards, respectively.
“His grades were fantastic, at a 92.3 overall [Pro Football Focus] grade, no rushing attempts, so that’s all from his receiving grade. That was second out of 85 wide receivers in the 2023 season,” Andrews noted.
The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly been waiting until June 1 to make a decision on trading Brown, also for salary cap reasons. If Andrews is correct and the Patriots are able to sign Aiyuk after June 1, however, they could get a receiver essentially on par with Brown without giving up any draft picks and taking a manageable salary cap hit.
The only question that remains is whether the Patriots are willing to take on some of the extra baggage that comes with Aiyuk. If they decide that coach Mike Vrabel could get Aiyuk to buy into his outlook, the Patriots may move in Aiyuk’s direction in June.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
