The hope around the Patriots, at least as far as 2024 goes, is that not only can rookie quarterback Drake Maye make an immediate impact and prove himself worthy of a starting role, but that the team can somehow find a quality young WR1 to pair with him in the offense.
The hope is out there, too—the Patriots still have plenty of spending money on hand, and there are disgruntled stars who want to be paid like Tee Higgins in Cincinnati and Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco.
Ah, how sweet it will be when we see Maye zipping deep balls to a streaking Aiyuk, one of the best five or six receivers in the NFL. Right? Right?
Alas, according to NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, that is not happening—or at least it remains a longshot. There are a few reasons, but mostly, the takeaway is, don’t expect to see a Pro Bowler added to the Pats’ receiver room.
Speaking on NBC Sports Boston, Breer daggered the hearts of the Foxboro faithful when asked about getting the likes of Aiyuk or Higgins: “I would say it is unlikely now.”
Sigh.
Trade for WR Too Expensive?
OK, the reasoning that Breer offered still is couched with some promise that the Patriots could, as the offseason progresses, land a top-notch receiver. That’s because they have money to spend, money that teams like San Francisco and Cincinnati do not want to dole out now.
With mega-contract already given out to the likes of receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown, other star receivers are going to want significant payouts, too. The Patriots could give up draft picks and also give up an enormous amount of money.
Higgins or Aiyuk could demand record-setting payouts from the Patriots to make a trade worth it, now that the market has been set.
“What became more difficult is the contracts that were signed by Amon-Ra St. Brown, $28 million per year, A.J. Brown, $32 million per year. You’re not just talking about draft-pick compensation now, you’re talking about draft-pick compensation now, you’re talking about something on the other end of it, which is a massive, massive contract,” Breer said.
“If you’re going to trade for one of these guys, if they have the leverage in a contract negotiation, if they say, ‘I’m only going there if I get $32 million, $33 million, $34 million per year,’ if you want to allot the majority of the $50 million that having a quarterback on a rookie contract would give you, that would be the question.”
Patriots Could Still Have a Chance at a Deal
Interestingly, Breer also indicated that one of the sensible Patriots targets—Aiyuk—probably won’t be coming onto the trade market at all now that the NFL draft has passed. The goal in San Francisco seems to be to keep the group together for one Super Bowl run in 2024, then trade Deebo Samuel, not Aiyuk, after the season.
“I just think it is more likely that those guys sticking on their teams. I would actually say right now, talking to people out there, Deebo Samuel is much more available than Brandon Aiyuk right now,” Breer said.
That makes sense on paper, but it does not take into account the human side of things. Samuel is not happy about being put through the trade-rumor wringer during the draft, and Aiyuk is not happy about his contract situation. Neither is Higgins with the Bengals. Perhaps that’s enough to sour the chemistry of those teams.
And perhaps then, the Patriots would be in a position to make a star trade.
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Insider Reveals Patriots’ Chances at Making Trade for Star WR