More Moves coming... Report reveals WILD Updates | New England Patriots

Back in 2024, the Patriots tried to trade for Brandon Aiyuk. However, the trade never ended up going through. Now, he hasn't played a snap since October 20th, 2024. The NFL just reinstated him, and the 49ers have until November 23rd to decide what to do with him. Drew Rosenhaus went on the Pat McAfee Show and said Aiyuk passed his physical, and that, quote, there is interest in him. He didn't say which team. The Patriots obviously just lost 45-27 to Green Bay with their receiver room in pieces. So, the fair question is, would New England actually take a receiver who has, well, said no to them in the past and is a guy who's looking for an opportunity anywhere at the moment? The reinstatement came Monday, November 9th, and it started a two-week roster exemption. The 49ers have until November 23rd to put him on the roster or cut him. Kyle Shanahan's response was, quote, it means absolutely nothing to our team. The NFL also told Aiyuk he owes the 49ers about $13 million in bonuses, and Rosenhaus says he hasn't paid any of it yet. If San Francisco cuts him today, it carries $31.65 million in dead cap, $12.35 million this year, and $19.3 million next year. Tuesday afternoon, Pro Football Talk reported the 49ers would cut him by 4 p.m. Eastern. A few hours later, Michael reported that he is likely to stay on the roster until November 23rd. Either way, San Francisco's side of this looks like a release. The question is the timing and who gets the first call when it happens. And whoever calls doesn't pay that dead cap. The 49ers do. The team that signs him pays a prorated minimum. It's about $715,000. Not even to the millions. And the Patriots wide receiver room, it's in pieces, which is exactly why Kalshi has the Lions at 58% to beat the Patriots this Sunday in Munich. Now, Kalshi is today's sponsor, and on Kalshi, it's running directly against other users, not the house like a traditional sportsbook. You're buying yes or no contracts on the outcome of events across sports, politics, or even the weather. Now, for example, I'm trading on the Patriots to win by more than two and a half points on Sunday. Yes, it's at 38 cents and an $80 trade pays out 201 and 76 cents. Now, if you're interested in trying out Kalshi, use the link in the description or in the pinned comment. And when new users sign up with the code tying just NFL and trade $25, you're going to get an extra $55 instantly. Thank you to Kalshi for sponsoring today's show. It took five days. November 4th, Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter that Ayuk was healthy and ready to get back on the field, and that the reinstatement paperwork was filed. Friday, November 6th, he met with the 49ers, and Rosenhaus' update afterwards was to be continued. The same day, Ayuk put out his own statement. Quote, I'm back to 100% and looking to get reinstated into the National Football League. That is a player who spent most of last season away from the team, and the league only let him back after the bonus money question came up. From the 49ers' side, he is now a player they have to carry or cut, and they have more than $35 million in cap space this season either way. Which means no cap pressure is forcing a quick decision, and the roster exemption is the only clock. Now go back to 2024. Ayuk was holding out and asked for a trade, and the Patriots sent proposals before the draft and again during the August holdouts, including a second-round pick. Michael reported New England had a deal in place with San Francisco and a big offer for Ayuk, about $32 million a year by one report, but he did not show interest in going there. Schefter then reported the Patriots decided not to explore any further trade possibilities. Now, a few weeks later, he signed a four-year extension with the 49ers with up to $120 million. Then, October 20, 2024, against the Chiefs, he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. The 49ers paid him $48.1 million for seven games. Now, last November, they voided the $27 million of his 2026 guaranteed salary after he missed rehab and he spent the spring posting angry messages about the teams. And well, let's just say it definitely caused for some concern online. Now, that is the play the Patriots wanted. Now, the 49ers want him gone, and the team he turned down might get him for a minimum deal. Now, this wouldn't be the first time New England has taken a receiver another team gave up on. It's done it three times in the last 20 years, and the results are kind of all over the place. The best one is Randy Moss in April of 2007. The Patriots got him from Oakland for a fourth-round pick and the 110th pick in the draft. The year before, Moss had 553 yards for the Raiders. In his first year in New England, he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns. And similar to Ayuk, there was some questions about, well, his character. Then, of course, there's Josh Gordon, who New England traded a 2019 fifth-round pick to Cleveland for in September of 2018. Now, he had 720 yards in 11 games that season, then stepped away in December, and by Halloween of 2019, the Patriots have waived him. And maybe the biggest one, Antonio Brown. The Raiders released him on September 7th, 2019, and New England signed him that same day. He played one game, a 43-0 win in Miami, caught a touchdown, and was gone on September 20th after more allegations. Of course, he denied them, but the Patriots, they couldn't sit there. So the template is a Hall of Fame outcome, a half a season, and a total disaster, and the price on all three was a fourth, a fifth, and a contract. None of them cost a first-round pick or even close to it. Ayuk's price might be lower than any of them, though. When Moss came to the Patriots, they gave a pick. When Ayuk is released, they're going to give up a contract. Now, the recent comparison is Odell Beckham Jr. in 2021. The Browns released him in November, and the Rams signed him on November 11th. And guess what? He played eight regular season games for the Rams, caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Beckham's year shows what a team can get from a famous name that another team gave up on in the middle of the season. Meanwhile, the Patriots, they're 5-4, and the stretch run is still ahead of them. A veteran who can win on the outside, it's worth a look, but only if his sanity is in check. He'd also be the first one of these to show up after more than two years of no games. A knee injury and falling out with his old team, that's going to be a bet that the Patriots will have to take. Right now, Pop Douglas leads the Patriots with 434 receiving yards this season. Romeo Dobbs and Mac Hollins, well, they have both been injured throughout this year. Mac Hollins just returning. Romeo Dobbs still on IR. And look at how that Green Bay game went. The Packers led 14 to nothing after the first quarter, and the Patriots scored zero in the first, 14 in the second, then seven, and then six. A game script like that is when a team needs someone who can win one on one on the outside and move the chains. Now you'd think that'd be A.J. Brown, but he's been in and out all year with an ankle and knee injury and the Patriots are 1-2 in their last three and in desperate need of some help. They also have about $9.23 million in cap space by Spotrac's count, and that is before a dollar of Ayuk's dead money counts against them because it's San Francisco's dead money. It's not going to be the Patriots. Rosenhaus on McAfee said, quote, I definitely expect him to play this season, and there is interest in him. Now, the market might be cooler than it sounds. Washington has not completely abandoned the idea per Schefter, but Fowler reporter Ayuk said some things about Jane Daniels' mom, and general manager Adam Peters did not want to sign him after that. Schultz reported at least one NFC team has discussed putting him on its practice squad once he's released. Now, Keishawn Booty is already gone, a receiver who showed up on the books as a trade. The room has fewer bodies than it did in September with injuries, and if nobody is bidding him up, New England, they really don't have a fight for him. I think that's kind of the whole case to go out there and grab him. Now, if he lands in New England, who's the number one wide receiver? AJ Brown or Brandon Ayuk? It's pretty clear, but you can let me know in the comments either way. Now, here's what the calendar does. Ayuk can't play for anyone else until the 49ers act. And Munich is this Sunday, November 15th. So he's probably not going to be in Germany. Well, let's say hypothetically, the thing that happens is he does get cut on November 23rd. The first Patriots game he could play in is November 30th at the Chargers. After that, there are seven games. The Chargers, Bills, Vikings, Chiefs, Jets, Broncos, and Dolphins. The Bills and Chiefs being among them are the big names. Those games are the audition. He'd have about four weeks to get into shape, and then, you know, we can see what happens after more than two years of being out. And Rosenhaus is already telling teams Brandon is healthy and ready. Now, if he doesn't look right by December, the Patriots can cut him again, and the 2027 and 2028 salaries stay effectively void because the team can't walk away. Now, this is what a cheap kind of bet is. A bad month costs a minimum contract. A good month gives New England a real number one, number two receiver for, you know, the next coming games against the Bills and the Chiefs and the Jets, and a reason for me to maybe trust somebody on the outside where it's healthy. Now, the football risk is simple. He hasn't played since October 20th of 2024, and he's coming off a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus. At his best, he's one of 166 players since 1999 with a 1,300-yard receiving game season. The other risk, though, is the locker room. A speeding video has posted to his arrest warrant. There's been traffic cases and, of course, Jane Daniels' comments, comments made about his former team, the 49ers. There's a thought that he could be somewhat of a cancer to the locker room, but it's, again, a risk that might be worth it with how many injuries you've had. Now, here's the call. I think the Patriots should call out as soon as he is released, but there has to be some investigative journalism done on whether or not he is actually, one, healthy, two, ready to play, and three, mentally sane. And the biggest reason is because the 49ers are going to eat the money. New England is going to pay a prorated minimum at almost nothing to get him. But again, there's always doubt. Over two years, you're not playing football. The Daniels comments, Vrabel loves to keep his locker room in a tight ship, but that might just be what he needs. This is a tight ship run by Vrabel. And of course, the Patriots are not scared to go out there and add guys like him. Now, of course, what we'll watch for is the deadline on November 23rd and whether San Francisco cuts him then or if he gets cut before then. So let me know in the comment section. The final thing, should the Patriots sign Brandon Ayuk? Yes or no, let me know down in the comments. And for now, guys, we'll see you in the next one. Peace out.