The very value of the running back position in financial terms is the subject of heated debate. Though it’s nothing new, this offseason’s handling of some of the top players at the position such as Saquon Barkley and Aaron Jones has lit the fires anew.
And those in Pittsburgh remain acutely aware of it as the Steelers are among the teams sporting a first-round running back on a rookie contract. While it’s becoming increasingly rare for backs to go in the first round, that didn’t stop the Steelers from taking Najee Harris in 2021. But two years into his career, is he at least on a trajectory to join the conversation of being among the elites at the position?
“You’re trying to get me in trouble with the Pittsburgh faithful over there”, Brad Spielberger told hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on 93.7 The Fan recently when asked that question. “Look, he’s a first-round pick, he’s an Alabama player, big name, seems like one of the most likable guys in the entire NFL, all those things. I do think he deserved to be on the call, but do I put him in that group?
“Respectfully, no, I do not”.
Spielberger is referring to a reported Zoom call that took place recently among some of the top running backs in the league to communicate with one another regarding the current market landscape at the position and what might be done to address it.
At the moment, there are only five running backs working under multi-year contracts valued at eight figures per year, those being Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Jones. That’s an assemblage of backs who are either extremely versatile or who excel at high-volume usage in run-heavy offenses.
And Jones took a $5 million pay cut to stay with the Green Bay Packers earlier this offseason. Even Chubb, arguably the best and most consistent runner in the game, expressed skepticism about what running backs could do about their market and acknowledged he could be a victim in the future of being released or being asked to take less.
As for Harris, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards with 11 combined touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, much is expected of him going forward, and one shouldn’t be blamed for agreeing that he doesn’t quite belong in that elite conversation right now—even if he belongs on the Zoom call to listen.
But the 2023 season seems to be the litmus test for his future, provided that he stays healthy. The Steelers believe they have surrounded him with everything he needs to play his best football, upgrading the offensive line, adding a big, run-blocking tight end, and even affording him a complementary partner in Jaylen Warren to save some wear and tear.
It will be two years, if the Steelers pick up his fifth-year option next year, before we have to talk about a potential long-term extension for Harris. What will that conversation look like in 2025, assuming that we ever reach that point with him, and what would it take to get there?
