The news was rather surprising Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. that the Pittsburgh Steelers were declining the fifth-year option of former first-round running back Najee Harris, putting the former Alabama product in a contract year rather than picking up a $6.79 million option for 2025.
That decision sent shockwaves through the NFL landscape and led to speculation and general concerns that Harris, who has been outspoken in the last two years in Pittsburgh regarding the offense and some of the attitudes and rules in the locker room, would not handle the decision well.
But so far, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Based on photos released by the Steelers’ website from the latest voluntary workouts Monday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Harris showed up and put in some work in the weight room with his teammates and appeared to be in a good mood.
Despite those concerns, former Steelers’ defensive lineman Chris Hoke, during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan’s PM Show with Andrew Fillipponi, stated that he doesn’t believe Harris will handle the decision in the wrong way, and even stated he’s heard that the fourth-year running back has lost some weight ahead of the 2024 season.
“This is gonna be a show-me year for Najee. I tell you what, I hear he has lost some weight. I think he’ll come out and he’s gonna prove that he’s worth every penny,” Hoke said of Harris, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Sometimes when we make a guy bet on himself, and you make him go out there and prove it, he could prove you right.”
The Steelers, based on reporting following the decision to not pick up Harris’s fifth-year option, were in a wait-and-see approach due to the addition of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, wanting to see how Harris looked in the scheme before making a sizable financial decision.
That also can be spun into a prove-it type of approach.
Though Harris has been rather solid for the Steelers in his first three seasons, cracking 1,000 yards rushing each year to make Steelers’ history and also being incredibly durable, never missing a game, the Steelers apparently want to see more. Hence the decision to not pick up the option.
While Harris might not have been happy to lose his captaincy last summer to Kenny Pickett after serving as a captain in Year Two, and then speaking out through the media about how things were enforced in the locker room and how certain mentalities from teammates bothered him, Hoke just can’t see the financial decision affecting Harris on and off the field this season from a distraction standpoint.
“I don’t think so. The reality is this: Najee’s always been a standup guy. Honestly, a couple things came outta frustration, but Najee… the guy by all accounts, from my point of view, has always been a standup guy,” Hoke added regarding Harris. “I think he’s gonna respond. He understands if he wants to be in this league and make money and set himself up generationally, he’s gotta have a good year, or he is gonna become a journeyman. So this is a big year for him.”
It’s a huge year for Harris, without a doubt. Just because the Steelers declined to pick up his fifth-year option doesn’t mean his time in Pittsburgh — or even his time in the NFL — is coming to an end.
The Steelers, theoretically, could work out an extension with Harris at a lower number than the fifth-year option this summer, or they could see how he plays during the season and decide from there on a new contract. Though the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo believes this is the end of Harris with the Steelers, things can change in a hurry.
Harris has a huge opportunity in front of him. Nobody connected with the Steelers in any way expects him to handle the situation poorly and let it affect his 2024 season.
