The Pittsburgh Steelers made the somewhat surprising decision earlier this month to decline RB Najee Harris’ fifth-year option, but Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t think 2024 will be the end of Harris’ tenure in Pittsburgh. During an appearance on The End Zone on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Dulac said that he thinks the Steelers aren’t ready to give up on Harris or move on from the former first-round pick.
“They are not dissatisfied with Najee Harris,” Dulac said, noting that he believes the decision to decline his fifth-year option was a financial one that “came from the top.”
He thinks the Steelers will look to work out a deal with Harris that keeps him in Pittsburgh beyond 2024.
“I think the idea will be to give him a new contract, a two-year contract, and somewhere along the line, that type of money that he was missing out on, $6.9 million will be reflected in a signing bonus,” Dulac said. “And then they’ll maybe backload it a little bit and see with the shelf life of running backs in the National Football League. I think that’s what they’re going to do. They are not ready to give up on Najee Harris or move on from Najee Harris.”
The Steelers don’t negotiate extensions during the season, and it’s hard to believe that Harris would look to ink an extension with the Steelers before playing out what is now a contract year. That would mean an extension, if it happens, would come after the 2024 season, and the Steelers may end up having to pay Harris more than they would’ve on the fifth-year option if he has a strong season. One option could even include placing the franchise tag on him. That’s part of what makes declining the option such a head-scratching move, if they really do have the intent to keep him long-term.
If the team is serious about keeping Harris long-term, accepting his option would’ve seemingly been the sensible thing to do. But working out something to keep him in Pittsburgh beyond 2025 could be in the Steelers’ plans, and it might be easier to do a short-term extension after 2024 given the limited shelf life of running backs instead of doing it after what would’ve been his option season in ’25. But it’s hard to see both sides coming to terms they’ll be happy with depending on how 2024 plays out. If Harris struggles, he can point to his three prior 1,000-yard seasons and look to hit the open market. If he plays well the Steelers might decide not to pony up for a running back.
It’s going to be interesting to see it all play out and see whether or not Harris is a member of the Steelers beyond 2024.
