Sport

Football Feud: Mike Reiss and Mike Felger Clash Over Patriots’ Contract Offer to Brandon Aiyuk

- by qbruc

ESPN reporter and longtime Patriots scribe Mike Reiss had a bone to pick with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s radio host Michael Felger on Wednesday afternoon.

The established and well-respected Patriots reporter is not usually one to verbally spar over the airwaves, but Reiss took umbrage with Felger’s comments regarding Reiss’ reporting on New England’s failed pursuit of 49ers star wideout Brandon Aiyuk. 

Despite New England ultimately agreeing to the “framework” of a deal with the 49ers regarding Aiyuk, the All-Pro wideout reportedly opted to not sign with New England — even though Reiss was one of many NFL reporters who noted that the Patriots were willing to make Aiyuk one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

“A source told me the Patriots are willing to make Aiyuk one of the top five highest-paid receivers in the NFL in average per year,” Reiss said on “SportsCenter” Tuesday evening, adding: “Remember, they went hard after free agent receiver Calvin Ridley, were willing to spend big for him, but Ridley ended up in Tennessee. Now, they’re willing to spend big to try to entice Aiyuk to want to come to New England.”

Felger was not a fan of the report, seemingly insinuating that talk of it being one of the heftiest contracts for a WR came directly from the Patriots’ camp.

“I smelled a rat, I sniffed it immediately when Mike Reiss had that report late yesterday afternoon. I sniffed it,” Felger said on Wednesday, as transcribed by NESN’s Sean T. McGuire. “It’s not a commentary on Mike Reiss, whose reporting is impeccable. He’s incredibly well-sourced within the Patriots. So I know where it’s coming from, and I know how they (Patriots) operate.”

Even though Felger said that his pointed comments were not intended as a slight against Reiss, it clearly irked the Patriots reporter — who called into “Felger & Mazz” during the next hour of the show.

“So, I haven’t been listening to you guys and I’m ready to fight if you want to fight,” Reiss said. “But the thing for me, I got people texting me, tweets coming up in the notifications. I think the insinuation that bothers me is that you think, Mike, that this information is coming from the team.

“So you think that the team would tell me that, and that I would go on ‘SportsCenter’ and report that. And I have to be honest, Mike, I’m actually a little bit insulted by that — if that’s true. I don’t know if that’s true because I haven’t been listening, but…”

“It’s definitely how I feel,” Felger responded.

“And that’s OK,” Reiss added. “You can feel that way. You can feel that way,” Reiss said. “But the fact that you think I would go on ‘SportsCenter,’ on that platform, and say that based on something from the team, that’s why I wanted to call in. Mike, you’re creating a perception with listeners that that’s the way this works. That’s incredibly dangerous. …

“That’s not the way this works! That pisses me off because you’ve been in this position. And you know that that’s not fair, and it’s not accurate in this case.”

Despite Reiss’ comments, Felger — who covered the Patriots for years as a writer at the Boston Herald — added that he did make the most of whatever information the Patriots organization shared with him during his reporting days.

“I mean, I used to do it,” Felger said. “They would tell me stuff and I’d report it.”

“No, Mike — you would check it, Mike,” Reiss said. “If they told you something, you would go check with the other side, because that’s the right thing to do.”

“Sometimes,” Felger added. “Sometimes I didn’t and it burned me.”

Ultimately, both Felger and Reiss sorted out their differences on air, with Felger stressing that he wasn’t trying to call out Reiss, but rather the Patriots.

“I understand — we can keep going around and around,” Reiss said. “I think the important point to me is I just want people that are listening — because you guys have the best show, everyone’s listening — to understand the way this works, that I would never go on ‘SportsCenter’ and just pass along that on that platform. It’s just not the way I do it.”

During Wednesday’s interview, Reiss also gave his thoughts on what’s next for New England after coming up short in the pursuit of Aiyuk — stressing that the Patriots are still likely looking at an extended rebuild beyond the 2024 season.

“I think it’s gonna take another offseason to stock the roster and get them where they need to go,” Reiss acknowledged, adding: I’m just looking at the offensive line and I’m just wondering how they’re gonna protect.

“Vederian Lowe has been the left tackle for six of the practices and there’s just more holes. For me, having seen it at the highest level with Tom (Brady), I have to remind myself not to always try to measure it up to that.”

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