New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s contract extension was the big domino many were waiting to see fall when it came to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris and his potential extension this offseason.
Though the Steelers declined his $6.79 million fifth-year option for 2025 in May, the belief remained that Harris and the Steelers weren’t ruling out a long-term deal.
So, when news broke Thursday evening that Stevenson signed a four-year, $36 million extension with the Patriots with $17 million guaranteed, that raised some eyebrows, as it seemingly set the floor for a Harris extension.
For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Show with Joe Starkey and Paul Zeise, Stevenson’s deal with the Patriots makes it “even less likely” that Harris re-signs with the Steelers.
“Oh, absolutely,” Fittipaldo said when asked if Harris would use the Stevenson deal as a benchmark. “I think it’s even less likely that he re-signs with the Steelers now.”
Though the extension between the Patriots and Stevenson has quite a bit of incentives based on production and accolades, it is a reasonable benchmark for Harris and the Steelers regarding a possible extension. Fittipaldo believes that it was unlikely before and now that Stevenson has set the floor, makes it even more unlikely.
The Steelers have done stranger things, though.
GM Omar Khan made sure to keep the door open to a long-term deal. with Harris, stating during an appearance last week on 93.7 The Fan just how much he values Harris and how good he is for the team and the locker room.
Those are comments that Khan has made in the past, but ultimately it’s a business. Khan and the Steelers made a business decision when declining Harris’ fifth-year option. They are making a business decision with any sort of long-term deal with Harris, too.
With the Stevenson contract now on the board, it’s difficult to envision Harris and his camp taking less money per year than what Stevenson just received, which is $9 million a year, making him one of the 10 highest-paid running backs in the NFL. It’s a point Dave Bryan has made in the lead-up to Stevenson’s extension.
Since the Steelers weren’t willing to pick up Harris’ $6.79 million option for 2025 — it would have become fully guaranteed for 2025 as soon as they made a decision on it — they may not be willing to offer a long-term deal above what Stevenson received to Harris.
We’ll see what transpires between now and the start of the season with Harris and the Steelers. Once the season starts, Pittsburgh will uphold the “no negotiations” rule in-season. Right now, an extension seems unlikely, though it is still plausible from a financial standpoint.
Assuming Harris and the Steelers don’t reach an extension and Harris isn’t hit with the franchise tag after the 2024 season, he’ll be a free agent.
