NFL Rumors: Patriots-Trey Hendrickson hint, Brandon Aiyuk future, McLaurin trade dead

We've officially entered the final week of the NFL preseason, and that's right when the NFL Rumors start to heat back up in a big way. The Cincinnati Bengals are a prime example of this, seemingly starting to heat up Trey Hendrickson trade talks with no deal in place — but also asking for a ton in any potential trade. But there are other trade candidates, other cut candidates, and rumors abound that are sure to only grow in numbers over the next week or so.

But as of right now, these are the NFL rumors and notes that football fans definitely need to keep on their radar.

Patriots GM all but confirms New England would pay Trey Hendrickson trade price

After reports on Sunday that the Bengals were officially listening to Trey Hendrickson trade offers, Dianna Russini of The Athletic poured what appeared to be cold water on that with rumors that Cincinnati is asking for a player and a first-round pick in any deal for the All-Pro pass rusher. While that seemingly might push almost any suitor out of the conversation, the New England Patriots might be a different story.

Especially if you ask general manager Eliot Wolf

In the wake of the Hendrickson reports, Wolf was asked about potential trades that the Patriots could still make ahead of Monday's training camp practice. The GM didn't mince words as he said he'd be willing to trade New England's first- or second-round picks if that meant making the team better.

Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston's note about the Patriots' plethora of cap space is certainly notable in the conversation as Hendrickson is still looking for a new deal, and the Bengals not being willing to offer him major guarantees being the impetus for trade conversations. But the fact that Wolf is essentially saying that he'd be willing to match Cincinnati's price, to some degree, feels like a direct hint at New England is going to kick the tires on a Hendrickson trade.

And why wouldn't they? With Drake Maye only entering year two, the Patriots have a salary cap window to spin big around a quarterback they believe can lead them back to the postseason. More importantly, behind Keion White and Harold Landry, the Pats could use a game-changer on the edge to further bolster their pass rush, which would also fit right into the identity of new head coach Mike Vrabel.

Nothing has materialized directly with the Patriots and Hendrickson to this point, but the dot-connecting here isn't difficult to do. Expect New England to at least make a call with purpose to the Bengals about a possible deal.

Brandon Aiyuk could still be traded once he returns to 49ers

Remember when San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was looking for a lucrative new contract, which resulted in relentless trade rumors only for him to eventually sign a four-year, $120 million extension with the Niners? Well, even with the new deal, we might want to start firing up those trade rumors again — or perhaps prepare for a reality in which he might simply be outright cut.

Aiyuk is returning from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season in San Francisco and is expected to return sometime before midseason. On one hand, it would seem that the 49ers could use that boost, especially if he comes back and returns to form, for Brock Purdy and the offense. However, ESPN 49ers insider Nick Wagoner alluded to the fact that San Francisco might already be starting to weigh their options with Aiyuk with consideration of moving on from the receiver.

"The trade rumors surrounding Aiyuk started more than two years ago and seem to never dissipate, despite his signing a massive contract extension in 2024. Aiyuk is expected to return from his knee injury at some point this season, and his future in San Francisco will likely be determined by how it goes from there. The Niners would have to eat significant money with little return to part ways with him during or after this season, but if he can't return to health and productivity, they might decide it's time to move on and reallocate resources."

What's interesting, though, is that the 49ers' structure with Aiyuk's new contract makes a trade far more likely than waiting until the offseason to release him. Not only would they be able to recoup some potential draft capital in a trade, but they could save $1.578 million on the cap by trading the wideout this year and $7.052 million by trading him next offseason, as opposed to taking on $56 million in dead cap and saving nothing but just cutting him next spring.

Of course, Aiyuk could return and ball out and this would be a moot point, another pointless trade saga with the 49ers pass-catcher. Having said that, the rumors around his future haven't gone away, and now might be gaining even more steam coming into this season.

Terry McLaurin staying with Commanders, kills any dreams of a trade

Another apparent contract impasse and subsequent trade request around the league has been with Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Entering the final year of his current deal, the highly productive pass-catcher is looking for an extension, one that's reportedly commiserate with someone like DK Metcalf, who signed a new extension this offseason after being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. To this point, though, the Commanders haven't been willing to dole that out.

That might be changing, though. As always, we'll consider the source here, but notorious social media insider Rickey (the one with the dog logo) is back again and reporting that the Commanders and McLaurin are on track to agree to an extension that will pay the wideout around $30 million per season. There wasn't a timetable provided other than the deal "should be completed before the season as details are still being finalized."

While this isn't Ian Rapoport, Adam Schefter or the like, Rickey has developed quite a good track record this offseason, whether that's been the James Cook deal, the Zach Allen deal, the Jalen Ramsey trade, and many others. So while it might not be a national name, it's someone who clearly has some insider knowledge and that makes this development with McLaurin worth noting.

For Washington, though, this was always where this needed to end up. While I can understand the hesitancy to give a 30-year-old wide receiver (he turns 30 in less than a month), McLaurin has been a crucial cog in the offense, coming off of five straight 1,000-yard seasons. And with Deebo Samuel and less proven options behind him on the depth chart, the Commanders need him to keep the train rolling with Jayden Daniels.

Having said that, this will leave several other teams wanting, particularly those who are in need of an impact wide receiver and were eyeing McLaurin as a potential trade target. If the Rickey report is to be believed, those dreams are about to die quickly.