Patriots
The Patriots were expected to be among the many teams attempting to sign 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in a trade, but have reportedly put the deal on hold.
Accordingly ESPN's Adam SchefterNew England “has decided not to explore any further trade options” involving Aiyuk. Why the Patriots backed out of searching for a deal was not immediately clear, but Schefter later provided some additional details.
Speaking during a SportsCenter Interview On Tuesday night, Schefter outlined the Patriots' thoughts on Aiyuk.
“New England had set the parameters for a trade with San Francisco. That wasn't the problem,” Schefter explained. “But they didn't have a good feeling here when they tried to communicate with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent.”
“The longer it went on, the worse they felt,” he added. “At some point they said, 'What are we doing here? Let's just focus on the young receivers we have.' They're excited about them.”
For the Patriots, rookie wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are currently completing their first NFL training camp. New England also has younger wide receivers DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Jalen Raegor and Tyquan Thornton on a packed roster at that position.
Schefter identified that the move was a conscious decision by New England management, not simply to attempt to force something for the sake of it.
“Instead of going ahead and giving up a huge amount of severance pay to the 49ers — after or before they gave up a huge contract with Brandon Aiyuk that he didn't seem particularly receptive to — they said, 'We're just going to wait and see and hold off.' So the Patriots have backed off and will not seek another trade for Brandon Aiyuk.”
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