The Pittsburgh Steelers have essentially a $7 million decision upcoming on RB Najee Harris as he was their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. First-round picks come with a built-in fifth-year option that teams can choose to exercise the year before their rookie contract would otherwise expire. With reports of the 2024 NFL salary cap surfacing, the fifth-year option amounts are locked in as well. Here are the figures, per Tom Pelissero on X. These fifth-year options will apply to the 2025 season.
Fifth-year option amounts vary depending on the player’s level of play and usage over their rookie contract. There are four tiers, including the basic tier, the playtime tier, the single-Pro Bowl tier, and the multi-Pro Bowl tier. While Harris was technically in the Pro Bowl in his rookie season, it was as an alternate, so it doesn’t count toward the formula. That puts him in the playtime tier, so he falls under ‘III’ on this list:
That puts Harris’ fifth-year option amount at $6.79 million for the 2025 season, and it becomes fully guaranteed at signing. This is just a hair higher than Over The Cap’s previous projection of $6,659,000. The Steelers will have until May 2 to make this decision. That falls the week after the 2024 NFL Draft, so teams have plenty of time to see how their roster and salary cap otherwise shake out with free agency and the draft.
Harris just completed his third season and once again hit the 1,000-yard mark, becoming the first running back to have three-straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his career since Alfred Morris over a decade ago. He has also been tremendously durable for the position, having started every game since being drafted.
That is rare for the running back position. Since 2004, only Christian McCaffrey had a more durable start to his career for running backs, starting every game while playing 85 percent of his team’s offensive snaps.
Harris has totaled 3,269 rushing yards on 834 carries with 22 touchdowns. He has another 866 yards and six additional touchdowns on 144 receptions in his three years in the league.
RB Jaylen Warren’s emergence makes the decision slightly more difficult, but he was an undrafted free agent and his three-year UDFA contract will also expire after the 2024 season. Team president Art Rooney II sure seems to like having both of them around, calling them a “two-headed monster” in the backfield during his end-of-season media sessions.
Given Harris’ durability and his production over his first three seasons, that $6.79 million option seems likely to be picked up. It could also be used as a starting point in negotiations toward he and the Steelers working out a long-term deal.
