The winning teams, that are in championship windows are often able to add key players at critical positions. As was the case for the New England Patriots during the height of their dynastic run, for some franchises, it's unnecessary to be in a glamorous destination city or to even be Super Bowl favorites. Often the prospect of being on a legitimate contender is plenty. However, as the Brandon Aiyuk trade news from Adam Schefter emerged, it became clear what the current issue is.
The exact details of the proposal to the San Francisco 49ers are unknown. However, it is clear that the market dictated a generous offer. Furthermore, two teams, in the Pats and Cleveland Browns made a strong push for the wide receiver. But regardless of what may have been included in the package, it was up to the player to agree to personal terms with his new perspective team.
In this case, the first domino fell. And as the earlier post from Schefter indicated, the Jerod Mayo-led side was left at the altar. This serves as a humbling point for the first-year head coach. According to reports, the former Arizona State college player was set to be one of the highest paid at his position.
Therefore, money or even role with the team was not the issue. Undoubtedly, Aiyuk is one of the best wideouts in the NFL. He is a clear-cut number one option, and knows that leaving Kyle Shannahan at this point would instantly mean drawing tougher defensive assignments from opponents. But even that wouldn't be an issue; as a true competitor, he'd likely be more than willing to accept a larger burden of stiffer and increased offensive responsibility.
Instead, his declining the New England Patriots shows where the franchise is currently. Even in the earlier years with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, free agents wouldn't exactly flock to Foxboro. But the savvy move for a veteran was always a possibility. Moreover, players showed a willingness to accept a lesser contract amount and reserved direct production within the scheme. This was true due to the fact that a playoff birth was essentially guaranteed, and everyone saw the bigger picture.
Possible prove-it year for the New England Patriots
Playing at Gillette Stadium meant hard practices, sometimes not seeing the field, and keeping your head down for the most part. This, of course, was easy with Brady, as the wins just kept piling up. But even in the Cam Newton and Mac Jones years, there was a sense of Belichick being able to still pull it together. The post-season invitational aspect obviously wasn't there, yet the teams still had one of the greatest to ever do it on the sidelines.
For Mayo, the history of prior organizational success, and the complete unknown of him as a head coach showed their heads during this past negotiation. It's possible that Aiyuk would have declined, regardless of who was in charge. Either way, it's clear that the current situation, particularly on offense, was not enough to lure him away from California. Or, at least not to Massachusetts.
Drake Maye looks at this point to be the day-one starter. That must have been part of the equation in Aiyuk's decision to shut down further talks. At the end of the day, whatever the push factors are from his wanting to leave the 49ers, the pull factors of the New England Patriots were not nearly enough for him to move to the East Coast at this time.
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