The San Francisco 49ers already traded one star wide receiver in Deebo Samuel, but it doesn’t appear they’ll take that same route with Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is due a $22.85 million bonus by Tuesday, and the San Francisco 49ers are not expected to trade him by that time, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday. Once the 49ers pay Aiyuk the bonus, it’s expected that he’ll spend the 2025 season with the team, taking him off the table for any team that might have waned to trade for him.
Back in August, the Patriots had everything in place to acquire Aiyuk from San Francisco, but they weren’t “getting a great vibe” as they tried to communicate with the wide receiver. It was also reported that Aiyuk showed no interest in playing for New England.
So the Patriots decided to go into the season with the wideouts on their roster.
That didn’t go as planned and the Patriots finished 4-13 with a wide receiver room that left much to be desired. Their lone free-agent addition last offseason was K.J. Osborn, who played just four games before he was benched. His productivity wasn’t what the Patriots hoped. Osborn had seven catches on 18 targets for 57 yards and was released in December.
The Patriots addressed their wide receiver void when they signed Stefon Diggs last week. While there’s still room to add someone else, it’s fair to assume it won’t be Aiyuk.
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