With reports swirling that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris asked the team to decline his fifth-year option so he could hit free agency after the 2024 season and play elsewhere, his agent responded on social media Thursday afternoon.
“Hey @PaulZeise, your “little birdie” source is a joke — next time do your homework and find a real source — not true — @PittsburghPG,” Harris’s agent Doug Hendrickson of the Wasserman group wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
Zeise, who co-hosts the 93.7 The Fan Joe Show with Joe Starkey, stated on air that he heard from a “little birdie” that Harris asked the team to decline his fifth-year option, putting him in a contract year.
“Little birdie said Najee Harris actually asked for the Steelers to decline his fifth-year option because he would like to go play somewhere else,” Zeise said on The Joe Show, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan.
Zeise was quick to state that it was all speculation before diving into what he heard, but the words were spoken on air, leading to Hendrickson’s response.
The Steelers declined Harris’s fifth-year option on May 2, turning down the $6.79 million price tag for the 2025 season that would have become fully guaranteed immediately. Now, Harris is in the final year of his rookie contract.
The belief that Harris would, in essence, turn down $6.79 million guaranteed immediately by asking the team to decline his fifth-year option so he could hit free agency and play somewhere else in 2025 and beyond is a real stretch.
That was then backed up by Harris showing up to voluntary workouts earlier in the week, putting in the work in the weight room with his teammates, looking a bit slimmer in the process.
Since the Steelers declined Harris’s fifth-year option, rumors have swirled around the workhorse running back, from the Cowboys showing interest via trade — it was shot down quickly by NFL Network’s Jane Slater — to now Harris somehow requesting his option not get picked up.
Harris might have been frustrated last season with the offense, his lack of production early in the season, the play caller and some of the discipline issues on the team. That doesn’t mean he was going to request the team not pick up his option to expedite his foray into free agency, especially at a position that continues to be devalued across the NFL landscape.
Strange report from Zeise, without a doubt, which caused Hendrickson to respond forcefully. Hopefully that’s the end of that chatter surrounding Harris.
