First-round draft picks in the NFL have a built-in fifth-year option that teams can elect to exercise the offseason before the final year of their contract. This adds an extra year onto their rookie contract at a set amount of money that becomes fully guaranteed when exercised. The window for teams to exercise the option opened up on Jan. 8th, but the deadline will not come until May 2nd. This gives teams time to see how free agency and the draft shake out before making the decision.
This season, the Steelers’ decision will be on RB Najee Harris. He was drafted 24th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The value of running backs has taken a sharp decline over the last decade with longevity concerns and the number of low-round or undrafted talents that rise to be starters in the league. Look no further than on the Steelers’ roster, with RB Jaylen Warren cutting into Harris’ playing time this season after being an undrafted free agent in 2022.
NFL.com analyst Marc Ross put together a list of his projections for which teams will or won’t pick up fifth-year options this offseason on eligible players. He said “yes” for Harris.
Many questioned the Steelers’ selection of a running back in the first round at the time, but the Steelers were one of the worst rushing teams in the league for multiple seasons in a row, and Harris was their answer to help fix that.
Harris had millions of reasons to try and make a Pro Bowl in the 2023 season, but did not ultimately make the cut. That is because a Pro Bowl (or multiple Pro Bowls) escalates the fifth-year option number pretty significantly. Harris made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, but it was as an alternate which does not factor into the formula. He receives a small escalation because of his playtime, so he is higher than the base level, but his number is currently projected to be $6,659,000 per Over The Cap.
One of the big benefits of drafting a running back in the first round is the ability to have an extra year of team control with the fifth-year option. It kicks the can down the road one additional year before you have to get in contract negotiations, which haven’t been going particularly well lately around the league with running backs. That figure, just shy of $6.7 million, is relatively affordable, and Harris has been the model of consistency.
Since 2004, he has been one of two drafted running backs to start every game of his first three seasons while playing over 60 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. The only other player to do so was RB Christian McCaffrey. Harris is a workhorse back and has been extremely durable.
He has 834 carries for 3,269 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only five fumbles in his career. He also has 144 receptions for 866 yards and six additional touchdowns. He has gained over 1000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons which is a franchise record. It also makes him the first player to do that since Alfred Morris from 2012-2014.
Regardless, Harris will be back for the 2024 season on the final year of his rookie deal, but exercising the option will guarantee at least one more season with the team through 2025.
The last time the Steelers exercised an option was on OLB T.J. Watt back in 2020. His option was exercised, but then the Steelers went on to extend him to the most lucrative contract for a defensive player at the time. That decision was pretty much a no-brainer and served as insurance if negotiations with Watt came to a standstill. The two decisions they had since then were S Terrell Edmunds and ILB Devin Bush, neither of which were picked up.
