The biggest talking point of this offseason has been the uncertainty around Brandon Aiyuk. What started seemingly as an extension with the 49ers has evolved into a move away from San Francisco owing to monetary compensation issues. With new reports implying the WR rejecting the Patriots despite the team meeting his demands, fans are left wondering what Aiyuk’s intentions truly are.
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Earlier today, senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter hinted that Aiyuk rejected the Patriots’ advances to sign him. Schefter noted that despite the Patriots being willing to offer significant money, Eliot Wolf and his team didn’t get a positive “vibe” from Aiyuk.
Hence, the club pivoted from Aiyuk and now plans to focus on nurturing the young receivers at their disposal.
“They weren’t getting a good vibe here as they tried to conduct communication with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent. And the longer it went on, the worse they felt about it. And eventually they said, ‘What are we doing here? Let’s just focus in on the young receivers that we have.”
“He didn’t seem overly receptive to (the contract),” the NFL insider continued.
That said, while many believed Aiyuk’s desire to be traded from the 49ers was motivated by money, fans found it baffling that he rejected the Patriots, where he would have been the centerpiece of the offense and earned according to his wishes. As a result, several netizens promptly took to social media with their theories.
Fans speculate reasons for Aiyuk snubbing the Patriots
According to the majority of New England fans, they would have loved to add Aiyuk to their roster. He would not only strengthen the offensive game but also help develop other newcomers.
Thus, they were disappointed by Aiyuk’s rejection and came up with various reasons for the snub. For instance, some felt that Aiyuk might have joined their team if there had been clarity on the starting QB, who is likely to be 31-year-old Jacoby Brissett. They argue that if it were Drake Maye, Aiyuk might have reconsidered.
Bc the receivers see maye as a project he’s not getting any reps w the ones so they see brissett who is ranked number 34 as QBs the first guy who is called if there’s an injury etc so ya until maye starts and starts playing well then ya I get it
— Shy (mike)Sullivan (@CheyenneSulli14) August 7, 2024
It’s kinda just weird that he says he wants money but won’t take a contract that’s worth more than he actually is. Must be bc we have a fresh offense and no true QB just sucks bc he could have mentored our young WRs
— Ben Dover (@BenDove20067930) August 7, 2024
Other Pats fans, meanwhile, quickly moved on from the rejection and urged the club to focus on extending players like Matthew Judon, who has been quite useful to the team.
According to their sentiment, despite spending money, the team should look to improve the secondary, perhaps even bringing back someone like Stephon Gilmore.
Extend Judon and sign Stephon Gilmore. Let’s get ready for the season no time.
— JB (@JJ_Baptiste) August 7, 2024
Bummer but the right move by the team. It looked like it was just going to be a big waste of time and energy
— Megan Luciano (@mluciano4) August 7, 2024
At this stage, what the New England Patriots need are players who completely buy into their project. So, in a way, Aiyuk’s snub was a blessing in disguise for the budding project in New England.
And who knows? Maybe the fans are right. If the team decides to improve the positions they can, it could benefit them in the long run.
