NFL Network: Pittsburgh Steelers are Brandon Aiyuk's preferred destination, still in the mix

On Monday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported the San Francisco 49ers have the “frameworks” done on trades for Brandon Aiyuk with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. Ayuik would then have a decision between the two if he did not want to sign a contract extension with the 49ers.

For a long time, Pittsburgh felt like a likely destination but was not mentioned in Maiocco’s report.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network pushed back on the idea, saying the Steelers are still in the mix for the wide receiver. In fact, Garafolo believes Pittsburgh is where Aiyuk ultimately wants to end up. The return on a trade would need to be sweetened for San Francisco and for now, the two are in a “standoff.”

“Some folks said the Steelers are out of it,” Garafolo said on NFL Network. “The Steelers were never out of it, and they’re not out of it as we sit here right now, as well. It sounds like, if you piece this all together, that would be Aiyuk’s preferred destination of all the teams that we’ve talked about.

“So it’s just got to get to the point where the Steelers can sweeten the pot when it comes to the trade offer with the 49ers. And then we can get to a point where Aiyuk can get a deal done with the Steelers and get over there. But in the meantime, it is a standoff right now. There has been no progress. It feels like we’re getting closer, but we’re doing it very slowly.”

Pittsburgh made two big moves at quarterback this offseason, acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. No matter who starts, weapons will need to surround them to make the Steelers’ offense go. George Pickens is certainly one, hoping to build off his first-ever 1,000-yard season in the NFL.

Aiyuk would seemingly fit in perfectly and potentially fit a No. 1 role. Being compensated as such is obviously a big desire as well. San Francisco may not be able to offer Aiyuk as much as somebody like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or New England.

Preseason games for the NFL will begin on Thursday. All three of the teams reportedly interested in Aiyuk will be in action and are a few weeks away from the regular season beginning. As Garafolo mentioned, the entire process is moving quite slowly, meaning Aiyuk will continue to wait to put on pads ahead of the 2024 season.