The topic of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris and whether the Steelers should pick up his fifth-year option in 2024 has been hot lately. Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame believes the team will. So it should be no surprise that when Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio joined 93.7 The Fan and the PM Team’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller Monday afternoon, he was asked his thoughts.
“I think Najee Harris is going to have a big third season,” Florio said. Mueller appeared to be surprised by this as he cut in with his belief that Jaylen Warren will supplant Harris. “Well, we’ll see, we’ll see. [Harris] came on last year after a slow start, but I think he’s going to have a big year. I think the fifth-year option, relatively speaking, isn’t so ridiculously expensive that you just don’t do it.”
There’s no question that Harris’ career so far has not lived up to the expectations of a first-round draft pick coming out of the University of Alabama. He finished his four-year college career with 3,843 yards rushing on 638 carries, good for 6.0 yards per carry. He also had 46 rushing touchdowns. He was also an effective receiver out of the backfield with 80 catches for 781 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.
Since the Steelers took Harris with the 24th overall pick in 2021, he has not shown the same big-play ability. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in both seasons but he has failed to reach 4.0 yards per carry. One could argue that the instability at quarterback and a lack of good offensive line play have hindered him, and that could very well be true. So with Kenny Pickett entrenched as the starting quarterback entering the 2023 season and the additions up front on the offensive line, could Harris truly have a big year and perhaps force Pittsburgh’s hand in regards to his fifth-year option?
Harris did see his two best games YPC-wise after Pickett took over the starting duties last season. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13, his season high, and 4.5 yards per carry against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. There’s also no question that general manager Omar Khan made upgrading the offensive line a priority with the signing of guard Isaac Seumalo and drafting tackle Broderick Jones.
There’s also the financial aspect of Harris’ fifth-year option as Florio noted. For some positions, teams do not want to lock in that option unless the player is a sure-fire top-end starter due to the money involved. However, the running back position has become devalued, and Harris will command $8.5 million unless he is named to his second Pro Bowl at which point the number jumps to $10 million. If Harris has a Pro Bowl-worthy season in 2023, then locking him up for $10 million for 2025 might make some sense.
Having a strong running game is part of Pittsburgh’s DNA, and if Harris can prove himself as a quality starter in 2023 with Florio’s expected big year, then we just might see the Steelers pick up his option for 2025.
