With the way Najee Harris is playing in the fourth and final season of his rookie contract, it would be a shame if the Pittsburgh Steelers let him walk in free agency, right? One team insider doesn’t believe an extension is in the cards for Harris and the Steelers, even as he finally evolves into the bell cow running back that they drafted him to be.
Mark Kaboly gave it a seven—yes, seven—percent chance of happening via 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey Show this morning.
“I just don’t think they would be interested enough, and there’s a two-way street. Is he interested enough to come back after not getting the kind of money or not picking up his option either?” Kaboly said. “He’s earned every right in the world to go out there and see what free agency offers him. And if he gets anything like the offseason this past year, it’s gonna be a decent amount of money.”
The Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option, which would have fully guaranteed his 2024 salary at the time of signing, as well as a fully guaranteed 2025 season for $6,790,000. Our Dave Bryan drew up a mock contract for Harris over the summer and came up with a number of $16.2 million through 2025 on a two-year extension signed before the 2024 season.
Market prices tend to go up, not down, and Harris is starting to have a career season. His price tag could go up considerably.
Through eight games, Harris has 592 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with a career-high yards per carry of 4.4. He is on pace for 1,258 rushing yards to top his previous high.
“The Steelers aren’t gonna pay that much. They still gotta pay Jaylen Warren,” Kaboly said. “He’s a restricted free agent next year…Unless Najee really wants to come back and they give him a competitive offer, I don’t see him coming back, and I don’t see them giving him an offer before free agency starts where he doesn’t go out and realize that, ‘Hmm, there’s other teams out here that might wanna pay me.’
“They figure that Jaylen Warren could probably do the same type of thing with less money.”
Warren was likely a big part of the reason Harris’ fifth-year option wasn’t picked up, and it is possible he will factor into the Steelers opting to move on rather than make a competitive offer in free agency. Warren will likely receive a second-round RFA tender valued at $5,217,000 for the 2025 season, per Over The Cap.
If they give Harris a market-value contract, that would be a decent chunk of money tied up in the running back room. That isn’t exactly in fashion these days for teams and their roster construction.
All that being said, it would be a real shame to move on from Harris just as he hits his stride. He is very likely to have over 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons, and he has yet to miss a game in his career. The Steelers’ offensive line is on an upward trajectory, too. Harris and the O-line could achieve some big things together if the numbers work.
Somehow, some way, I hope that Kaboly is wrong.
