The New England Patriots' failure to land San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk via trade definitely doesn't appear to be because of a lack of effort.
In fact, based on the reports that have surfaced over the last few weeks, it sounds like the Patriots made a really strong offer to Aiyuk but he just didn't want to come to New England.
Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract and looking to land a lucrative new deal. The Patriots reportedly were willing to offer Aiyuk a contract worth more than $30 million per season, which would have made him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.
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So, why didn't Aiyuk accept the deal?
The Athletic's Dianna Russini, speaking on the Scoop City podcast this week, provided some new information on how Aiyuk felt about the Patriots.
"(The Patriots) essentially had a contract in place for Aiyuk giving him around $32 million a year, and with trade compensation that the San Francisco 49ers were OK with," Russini said.
"But Aiyuk did not want to go play for New England is what I was told. He does not believe the quarterback position is at the level that he wants it to be at right now, and he wants to be on a team that he believes can make a run in the playoffs. He doesn't see New England as being that type of team."
Those reported concerns from Aiyuk's side are fair.
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has the potential to be a franchise cornerstone player, which is why he was the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But he hasn't even played a regular season snap yet. Jacoby Brissett is a decent veteran QB, but not someone who's likely to run a prolific offense.
So it's certainly not surprising that a star wide receiver would have some concerns over New England's quarterback situation.
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And the playoff concern is obviously valid. It would be shocking if the Patriots reached the playoffs in the upcoming season, especially with the AFC being loaded with so many good teams.
This report is further proof that the best ways for the Patriots to convince star players to come to New England are to win games and show a good level of competency on offense. You don't have to be one of the three-best teams to land top-tier players, but you can't be as inept as the Patriots were offensively last season, either.
The 2024 season is one where the Patriots need to build a solid foundation for future success that other players around the league will want to play a role in.