It’s been well-reported that the Patriots took a swing on trading for disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and were left at the altar by the second-team All-Pro despite offering him a contract extension that would net him an annual average salary of $32 million.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic told The Ryen Russillo Podcast that regardless of the money, at least at the moment, Aiyuk has no interest in playing for New England because of the uncertainty at quarterback, and has the Pittsburgh Steelers as his top choice because of a pre-existing relationship with head coach Mike Tomlin.
This coming after an offseason where the Patriots swung-and-missed on landing free agent wideout Calvin Ridley, who reportedly chose the Tennessee Titans over New England because his wife preferred the couple stay in the south.
So it’s back to the drawing board for Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf after publicly going 0-for-2 on the star wide receiver market this offseason.
…so what about CeeDee Lamb?
The first-team All-Pro wide receiver is currently in the midst of a contract negotiation with the Dallas Cowboys, and is holding out of training camp. And when asked on Thursday about how the negotiations with Lamb were going, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said, “I don’t have any urgency to get [a deal] done.”
The Athletic’s Jon Machota posted this quote from Jones on X.com, along with a picture of the Pro Football Hall of Fame owner speaking into a mic. Lamb proceeded to repost the note, simply saying “lol.”
This repost by Lamb has opened the trade rumor floodgates, putting the Patriots’ desire to add a star wide receiver at the forefront of the conversation.
With New England reportedly willing to pay Aiyuk $32 million a year, what does that mean they’d be willing to pay someone the caliber of Lamb, widely regarded as a tier above the 49ers veteran?
Whatever that number may be, the guarantees better be close to mirroring what the Dolphins just shelled out for Tyreek Hill. Miami gave the first-team All-Pro a four-year extension worth $120 million, including $65 million in guarantees over the next three seasons.
This resets the market for guaranteed money for top-tier wide receivers across the league. It’s safe to say that the 25-year-old wideout will be looking for that security blanket, whether it’s with the Cowboys or elsewhere.
According to Spotrac, Lamb is set to make $17.991 million this season, and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this league year.
And in case you weren’t locked in on the Cowboys in 2023, Lamb had the best season of his young career - 1,749 receiving yards, 135 catches, and 14 total touchdowns, all of which were career highs.
If Lamb becomes available, and is OK with the uncertainty under center, the Patriots would need to be willing to open up the checkbook in a big way.
Would Wolf have the Kraft family’s blessing?