Camp Conversations: Patriots, 49ers reportedly agree to framework on Brandon Aiyuk trade… Now what?

Veteran 49ers reporter Matt Maiocco sent shockwaves through the NFL world late on Monday night with the report that San Francisco has the framework in place for two potential trades to deal star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. One destination is said to be the Cleveland Browns.

The other? The New England Patriots.

“The Browns and Patriots have given their best offers to Aiyuk’s camp while also presenting trade proposals that the 49ers have accepted,” wrote Maiocco on Monday. He added that San Francisco would acquire both a veteran wide receiver and a package of picks in both deals.

According to the report, the pass catcher the Patriots would be sending is 29-year-old Kendrick Bourne.

MassLive’s Mark Daniels and ESPN’s Mike Reiss have since confirmed New England’s interest in a trade for Aiyuk.

So a deal is in place. Now what?

Well, we’re in a holding pattern. The 49ers have reportedly given Aiyuk permission to negotiate a contract extension with other teams, and the ball is now in his court to determine his next destination. According to Mike Reiss, Aiyuk “has balked so far at multiple contract offers.”

The Patriots have been in pursuit of Aiyuk for quite some time now, having been interested in acquiring the wide receiver since the time of the NFL Draft. According to Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, New England offered a second-round pick to San Francisco back in April, and were one of five teams willing to pay him an average annual value of $28 million. A price that is reportedly Aiyuk’s “magic number”.

If they’re able to get it across the finish line, bringing Aiyuk to Foxborough would be a massive land for Eliot Wolf, Jerod Mayo, and the Patriots. New England has longed for a true WR No. 1 since the days of Randy Moss, with the failed attempts at Aaron Dobson, N’Keal Harry, Josh Gordon, and Antonio Brown haunting them for years. This new era starts and ends with quarterback Drake Maye, whom they drafted with the No. 3 overall pick back in April. Pairing him with a bonafide star in Aiyuk for the foreseeable future has the potential to be massive for his development.

The question that remains now is: Is Maye’s ceiling as a quarterback, mixed with the culture Mayo is building, enough for Aiyuk to agree to terms? Right now, that answer is seemingly no.

One wrinkle in this entire saga is the idea that ultimately, Aiyuk‘s preferred destination is Pittsburgh — as has been loosely suggested. The problem? It’s now been hard-reported by multiple outlets that after originally being interested, the Steelers are no longer in the running after failing to meet the 49ers’ trade demands.

My take here is that there’s a chance the 49ers are leaking said trade frameworks with New England and Cleveland in order to drive up Pittsburgh’s offer, ultimately making both them and Aiyuk happy. This is, of course, purely speculative.

The 26-year-old pass catcher is coming off of a career season with the 49ers. En route to a Super Bowl appearance, he hauled in 84 receptions for 1,491 yards and eight touchdowns over 16 regular season and three playoff games. He became quarterback Brock Purdy’s top target and earned second-team All-Pro honors in the process.

While where he lands next is TBD, we’re officially on #AiyukWatch here in New England.

Follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!