For weeks, the contract drama surrounding 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been coming to a head, and now the Super Bowl contender is officially open to trades. One favorite has now withdrawn from the race.

According to information from “ESPN”, the San Francisco 49ers are willing to consider trade options for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. At the start of training camp, a trade had been ruled out. Aiyuk and his advisor are free to negotiate a follow-up contract with another team.

According to the report, the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots are particularly interested. However, the Patriots have now finally bowed out of the poker game for the All-Pro receiver. This is also reported by “ESPN”.

According to the report, New England wanted to make Aiyuk one of the five highest-paid receivers in the league. Now there will be no trade to the northeast. Whether Aiyuk or the Patriots have turned it down is not known.

There is no certainty that Aiyuk will leave the 49ers. The NFC champions are said to be willing to keep their best receiver from 2023 if no trade offer comes in.

“Former teammate”: Has McCaffrey blabbed?

However, the indications of a departure are growing. In an interview on Tuesday, running back Christian McCaffrey called Aiyuk his “former teammate.”

VIDEOCHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY CALLING BRANDON AIYUK HIS FORMER TEAMMATE

What does CMC know….
pic.twitter.com/OOsBazGJLy https://t.co/veulQEwnCR

– MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 6, 2024

“Brandon is a great player and it’s very hard to get better when you lose a great player,” coach Kyle Shanahan analyzed the situation. “We have to take everything into consideration. We have to understand the situation we’re in and that takes time. So we hope it’s the best thing for him and for us in the long run.”

Aiyuk enters the final year of his contract with the 49ers in 2024. Last season, he made 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He is guaranteed 14 million in the final year of his contract. This is obviously not enough for him