Is picking up Najee Harris’ fifth-year option a foregone conclusion?
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t picked up one of their own first-round pick’s fifth-year options in some time. They had none in 2020, and passed on Devin Bush and Terrell Edmunds. While they obviously exercised T.J. Watt’s option, they did not for Artie Burns.
That’s just one player in a five-year period, excluding Minkah Fitzpatrick as a trade acquisition. And they’re obviously not picking up Kenny Pickett’s option, considering they already traded him. So Najee Harris should go into this understanding having his option picked up is no guarantee.
With that said, Harris is clearly a stronger candidate for it than were Burns, Edmunds, Bush, and Pickett. He did make the Pro Bowl, even if as an alternate, and has three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. His 28 scrimmage touchdowns are tied for the 16th-most in the NFL over the past three years.
The Steelers would have to pay Harris roughly $6.8 million in 2025 if they decide to pick up his option. It’s a good chunk of change, to be sure, but hardly insurmountable. And they don’t know that they’ll have a high quarterback salary on the books next year right now.
For what it’s worth, beat writers largely view this as a settled matter. They fully expect the Steelers to exercise the fifth-year option for Najee Harris, who otherwise can reach unrestricted free agency next year. While they have Jaylen Warren in the backfield, they greatly prefer the opportunity to use both.
Harris rushed for 1,035 yards on 255 carries last season, his most efficient year at 4.1 yards per rush. He scored a career-high eight rushing touchdowns, but had no receiving touchdowns for the first time. Warren took over most of the running back receiving responsibilities, though, seeing just 38 targets last year.
Perhaps worth noting is the fact that Harris had more success on “breakout” runs last year—with a qualifier. He finished among the league leaders in 20-plus-yard runs in 2023 with eight. However, not a single one of those eight rushes gained more than 25 yards. Amusingly, he had three more rushes for 20-25 yards than anybody else in the NFL last season. But Warren was among those behind him in second place with five, and he added a 73-yard run.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
