Pittsburgh Steelers’ GM Omar Khan wouldn’t publicly close the door on the Black and Gold re-signing running back Najee Harris in free agency during his session with the media Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
But Pat McAfee Show correspondent and long-time Steelers’ reporter Mark Kaboly believes that the “ship has sailed” on the Steelers re-signing Harris, especially with Khan stating the Steelers will tender Jaylen Warren, on top of the news about the formal meetings with top running backs Ashton Jeanty and Ollie Gordon II at the Combine.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Show with Joe Starkey and Bob Pompeani, Kaboly stated he believes the opportunity to re-sign Harris has passed, and the Steelers are moving on.
“It didn’t sound like it. Omar [Khan] pretty much rubber stamped the Jaylen Warren restricted free agent tender coming up here within the next week or two, to be able to bring him back and then they’ll probably add somebody there in free agency market and draft somebody right there,” Kaboly said when asked if Harris was going to return to the Steelers, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “So I think it was going to take a lot of negative things to happen to Najee Harris for them to even consider him coming back.
“So I think, honestly, I think that ship has sailed.”
Harris is coming off of four straight seasons with 1,000 yards rushing as a member of the Steelers, and is the only running back in the NFL to that in that span. Last season, Harris rushed for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns on 243 carries.
While the 1,000-yard seasons are impressive in the grand scheme of things, looking closer, Harris’ production was limited to just 4.3 yards per touch, including receptions, which isn’t all that noteworthy. Of running backs with 750 touches in that span, he’s ahead of only Ezekiel Elliott in yards per touch. Not great!
Coming off of the 2024 season, Harris has been connected to the likes of the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. Though there’s many that downplay the four straight 1,000-yard seasons due to the 16- and 17-game schedules making it easier to crack that mark, Harris has been a force when it comes to creating yardage after contact and making defenders miss.
He came out strong to start the 2024 season, ripping off three-straight 100-yard games in Weeks 6-8, doing so for the first time in his career. But he tailed off down the stretch and appeared worn down behind an offensive line that was also struggling to perform well in the running game late in the season.
Though the durability is a huge asset for Harris, the limited production has the Steelers seemingly ready to move on. Warren should get a restricted free agent tender from the Steelers, whether that’s an original round or a right of first refusal, which should secure him in Pittsburgh for at least the 2025 season.
If the Steelers let Harris walk, they’ll have some options to choose from in free agency from a veteran perspective, including Nick Chubb, Rico Dowdle, and JK Dobbins. Outside of Dowdle, neither Chubb or Dobbins really moves the needle. The NFL Draft could be the best place for the Steelers to address running back, with names like Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, Ohio State’s TreyVeon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Jeanty, Gordon and others being connected to Pittsburgh as good fits in Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme.
Harris was supposed to be a good fit, and at times he sure looked like it. But that end to the season and his limited production seems to have put an end to his time, based on what Kaboly is hearing.
