49ers reportedly agree to trade terms for Brandon Aiyuk with Patriots, Browns - ball now in WR's court

Well, things certainly changed quickly in the last 24 hours.

After telling anyone who would listen that they would not trade disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers suddenly changed their minds and are now more than open to trading the receiver, who has not relented on his contract demands and continues to be a hold-in at 49ers camp.

The Patriots and Browns have each reached agreement with the 49ers on compensation, a league source confirmed. Now it's up to Aiyuk to accept the terms of a new contract with one of the teams to complete the deal. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area first reported the news.

Some key parts from his report:

The 49ers gave permission to Aiyuk to negotiate potential contracts with the Browns, Patriots, Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers, the source said.

The Commanders have removed themselves from trade talks for Aiyuk, and the Steelers effectively no longer are an option after they declined to meet the 49ers’ trade demands, the source said.

The Browns and Patriots have given their best offers to Aiyuk’s camp while also presenting trade proposals that the 49ers have accepted, the source said.

The 49ers likely would acquire a veteran wide receiver and a package of draft picks from the Browns or the Patriots.

The Browns would be in a position to add Aiyuk if wide receiver Amari Cooper were sent to the 49ers as part of the trade, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported.

The Patriots are expected to include former 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne as part of the deal if Aiyuk were to accept New England’s offer.

If Aiyuk ultimately declines to agree to sign a multiyear contract with the Browns or Patriots, it remains a possibility that he could remain with the 49ers. However, Aiyuk and the 49ers haven't engaged in substantive contract talks for months. He remains tied to the 49ers on a rookie deal that is scheduled to pay him $14.124 million this season.

In an illustration of how things have changed for the 49ers in the past few days, Josina Anderson reports the Patriots haven't offered more than they previously have - which she reported to be a second-round pick.

BSJ ANALYSIS

From 10,000 feet, this would be a home run for Eliot Wolf. We've been telling you for months that Wolf desperately wanted to add a No. 1 weapon to this offense this year, leaving just tackle to check off in next year's draft. If the Patriots can get Drake Maye, Aiyuk and a left tackle — to go along with the other core re-signings this offseason — New England would go into the 2025 season with their rebuild arguably over.

Bonus: Wolf would have been proven right in staying patient and not overpaying for Calvin Ridley, who is really a No. 2 receiver. Aiyuk is a bonafide No. 1 who is ascending at 26-years-old and coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including 1,342 yards in 2023 and 15 touchdowns the past two seasons. He has missed one game the previous three years. He's 6-foot with 4.5 speed and has excellent route running skills. He would give the Patriots an elite boundary receiver, and slot everyone else, including Pop Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, KJ Osborn and Javon Baker a slot lower.

The contract should not be an issue for the Patriots, and they should have an advantage there. While the Patriots are second in the league with $43 million in cap space, the Browns aren't too bad off with $30 million remaining. Cleveland could easily create more by restructuring Deshaun Watson. 

It's somewhat hard to believe that the Patriots would be the preferred trade partner of the 49ers. If the 49ers acquired Amari Cooper, you could make the argument they could get approximate value in their offense for Aiyuk. Kendrick Bourne, if he's part of the deal, isn't even cleared to play and is a completely different receiver physically than Aiyuk and Cooper, who are close. Perhaps Matthew Judon would be included. That would be enticing.

I have a hard time seeing the Patriots parting with their 2024 2025 first-round pick, which could be in prime position for a tackle. Maybe that second-rounder would suffice, since it could be a top 40 pick. Browns are expected to pick lower than the Patriots.

Is there a downside to trading and signing Aiyuk? A few:

If he won't stay with the 49ers and would rather opt for Cleveland and New England, does he really care about winning or just the money?

If the Patriots don't have the right QB now or long-term, big-money receivers have a tendency to be a pain in the rear (see Davante Adams in Vegas).

Aiyuk flourished as the fourth option in the 49ers' offense. Is he good enough to really be the guy, and without Kyle Shanahan?

This is the list of highest-paid receivers. Stop when you get to one who has won a Super Bowl after getting paid:

Maybe Mike Evans? And we all know why he won a title, and it wasn't because of him.

You would think the NFL would look at exploding receiver contracts and double down on the draft. But since the Patriots lack a franchise left tackle, those are impossible to acquire. So you can see the logic in Wolf trying to check that box now. Just need the left tackle next year. Then you're cooking with gas.