The New England Patriots have found ways to turn things around in the first year under Mike Vrabel, and own a league-best 9-2 record going into Week 12. Drake Maye's stellar play in his sophomore season has given New England the inkling that they have found their next franchise quarterback.
While they focused on the remainder of the season and making a postseason push, a potential offseason wide receiver threat has already emerged in November. The Athletic's Mike Silver and Dianna Russini revealed on Friday that Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers are headed towards a split.
San Francisco has grown frustrated with Aiyuk in the past few months as he's failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities. The 49ers are annoyed with Aiyuk's lack of communication and voided the guaranteed money in Aiyukâs contract for 2026.
Things look so far gone that Aiyuk doesn't want to fight the move, clearing the way for his release at the end of the season. And with him expected to be a free agent in the coming months, New England could pursue him and add another weapon to the passing game.
Brandon Aiyuk Should Be a Patriots Target This Offseason
Before Aiyuk got a four-year, $120 million deal with the 49ers, New England was interested in trading for the 27-year-old. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that the Patriots offered the 49ers a 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and veteran wideout Kendrick Bourne in exchange for Aiyuk. The biggest problem was that Aiyuk didn't want to come to New England, even though they offered him more money than San Francisco did.
Although he didn't want to come to New England last year, that opinion could change now, especially with a young and upcoming quarterback in Maye.
Stefon Diggs was a big-money addition last offseason and has worked out in their favor. They also have Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins in the receiver room, but the addition of a guy like Aiyuk could help take this offense to another level.
There's only one football to go around, so if Aiyuk is brought in, the Patriots may move from Douglas or Hollins, as viable avenues exist to move on from both before the 2026 season. That is a conversation that can happen if Aiyuk actually comes to New England, though.
In five seasons with the 49ers, Aiyuk has 294 receptions for 4,305 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. He can win on all three levels on the field, but since he's likely not to play this season after tearing his ACL last season, it would be a low-cost deal.
Getting another dynamic weapon would be great for this offense, allowing them to attack defenses in different ways. They had interest in him before, and with him expected to hit the free agency in the coming months, he could be a nice target, especially since New England will have around $64 million in cap space per Spotrac for the 2026 offseason.