Based on the way the Pittsburgh Steelers have very clearly been built to play and how running back Najee Harris has performed through his first three NFL seasons, recording three-straight 1,000-yard seasons while making team history, the fifth-year option on Harris’ contract should be an easy decision.
However, GM Omar Khan, speaking to local reporters Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine, stated that the Steelers are having plenty of discussions with head coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith regarding the future of the offense, which includes a decision on Harris’ fifth-year option.
Harris’ fifth-year option was officially set at $6.79 million, which must be decided upon by May 2. Should the Steelers pick up the fifth-year option, it would become fully guaranteed for the 2025 season.
“We have until the first week in May to make a decision. We have a new offensive coordinator, so that’s gonna play into the decision-making process,” Khan said to reporters Thursday. “We’re having conversations with Arthur. It’s been great. We’ve been engaging frequently, and Coach Tomlin and Arthur and I, we’ve kind of been talking about the offense and what the vision is for it.
“And we think very highly of Najee, and we’ll make the decision before May 2.”
Though Khan was certainly non-committal regarding Harris and his fifth-year option, the Steelers have invested heavily in a ground-and-pound style rushing attack. Signing veteran linemen like Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels as free agents in recent offseasons, they also traded up in the first round to land Broderick Jones in the 2023 NFL Draft and brought in Smith as their new offensive coordinator in early February.
Harris fits well into the style the Steelers want to play, and he’s at his best late in the season when the weather gets colder. He showed that time and time again last season, turning in two straight 100-yard games in Weeks 17 and 18 as the Steelers made a push into the AFC playoffs.
The two straight 100-yard games led to Harris eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, making Steelers history and becoming the first running back to record three-straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his career since Washington’s Alfred Morris from 2012-14. Harris has also been a very durable running back for the Black and Gold, having started every game since being drafted in 2021.
The fifth-year option of $6.79 million doesn’t seem all that much on paper, and for a player with Harris’ dependability and durability, it seems like an easy decision. But we’ll see what the Steelers and Khan do regarding Harris and his option ahead of the May 2 deadline.
