Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers declined RB Najee Harris’ fifth-year option last May, the two sides have been barreling toward this day. A pending free agent, Harris and the team will have to decide if he’ll re-sign with the team or, like so many recent first-round picks, end up elsewhere by the time his rookie deal is through. Team President Art Rooney II kept the door open for Harris to return but understood it was now a two-way street.
“Najee is a good player, and obviously, he’s gonna have decisions to make,” Rooney said in audio aired on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday afternoon. “We have decisions to make.”
The team’s first-round pick in 2021, Harris’ selection seemed largely driven by Rooney’s mandate for the team to improve running the football. But Pittsburgh didn’t build inside-out, an offensive line that aged out and had to be rebuilt. That forced Harris to overcome a lack of running room. His lack of long speed and burst only contributed to a lack of big plays.
Availability and durability at a position that frequently lacks either allowed Harris to be the only NFL back of the past four years to rush for 1,000 yards each season. But he didn’t flourish despite OC Arthur Smith’s run-heavy influence, putting up near-identical numbers as in past campaigns.
Looking to cash in on what’s likely to be the only long-term deal of his career, Harris will be ready to ink with the highest-bidder. Pittsburgh probably won’t be that team. After declining what would’ve been a reasonably cheap fifth-year option, Harris didn’t have the kind of year that saw his value soar to a level the Steelers would want to pay. Similar to what Rooney said during a similar media interview, he hinted that “somebody else” will take Harris’ place.
“We have a position open in that room and so we have to fill a position there. Whether it’s Najee or somebody else.”
To be sure, Rooney isn’t excluding Najee from that camp. But phrases like “we have a position open” and “Najee or somebody else” aren’t expressing confidence or hope in bringing Harris back. TE Pat Freiermuth hinted at the same in a somber moment following the Wild Card loss.
Barring something dramatic changing, Harris will hit the open market and play elsewhere in 2025. Perhaps he’ll head back out West, already being recruited by the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby. Or perhaps the Los Angeles Chargers to fit Jim Harbaugh’s rough-and-tumble offensive identity.
