Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: RB Najee Harris
Experience: 4 Years
The Steelers invested a first-round pick in Najee Harris four years ago and decided not to pay the price for a fifth year. Now that his four years are up, so is his rookie contract, so what comes next? Most seem to believe the Steelers will not re-sign him, especially if he has any kind of market.
Considering this is not a robust year for veteran running backs in free agency, he very well might. At the same time, this is a strong class for the position in the draft. That may be what the Steelers are thinking in relation to Najee Harris, and they also have Jaylen Warren.
Speaking of Warren, he is a pending restricted free agent, which will take the Steelers a few million to keep him. It’s very unlikely they would not tender him and let him hit the market, unless they were to re-sign Najee Harris beforehand. But why would he want to re-sign with the Steelers and not even test the market?
By the end of the 2024 season, Harris had done what he always does—rush for a little over 1,000 yards. In doing so during his first four seasons, he became the first player to accomplish the feat since Chris Johnson in 2011. But he also benefited from playing 17-game seasons. And how much do the Steelers want to pay for consistent good enough-ness?
In fact, 2024 wasn’t exactly a career year. Najee Harris played his fewest snaps, tied in count for 2023 but lower in percentage. He scored a career-low six touchdowns, with a career-worst 43.7-percent successful play percentage. While he just squeaked by the 1,000-yard mark again, it was an accomplishment of attrition.
Harris is a good, solid player, and he would have a lot more success in the Steelers’ offense if they maximized their talent along the offensive line and designed a better running scheme. He will never be a Derrick Henry, but he certainly could be a top-five back.
The problem is, the Steelers haven’t been able to construct a top-five rushing offense to put Najee Harris in. Throughout his career, he has averaged just 1.8 yards before contact. Some of that is on him, but that’s mostly a structural and schematic statistic. And he just doesn’t have the consistent dominance to make up the difference, even if he can offer it in stretches. So what is that worth? That’s one of the big questions the Steelers have to consider this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
