The pittsburgh steelers must make a final decision on najee harris’ fifth-year contract this offseason. Although it is likely that they will pick it up and pay him $6.67 million in the fifth year of his contract, not everyone agrees that the team should go for harris’ option. With many of their players on offense getting older, steven ruiz of the ringer said that the steelers will naturally have more players to sign, and that he believes that they could invest harris’ money elsewhere on the team. “the steelers have a similar choice to make regarding najee harris, who has been more of a contributor than pitts, but who also plays a position of lesser importance,” ruiz wrote. “harris has been one of the better players on pittsburgh’s punchless offense, but (a) that isn’t saying anything, and (b) his inability to produce top-line production behind a shaky offensive line just shows that a running back can’t do it all on his own.
On the fifth-year option, the steelers will pay harris just over $6 million in 2025. The smaller price tag may justify the move, but those dollars could be better spent elsewhere on a roster full of holes,” harris said. the team’s first-round pick in the 2021 nfl draft has a fifth-year option built into his rookie deal, as all first-round picks do. This offseason, the steelers will make a decision on whether or not they will take the option on harris’ contract for the 2025 season. Mike tomlin gushed about harris’ future during his season-ending press conference, citing his big back’s success. Tomlin said, “man, he’s been what we needed him to be.” “i read a statistic about him, you know, he’s been a 1,000-yard rusher for three years in a row, and how scarce that is,” he said.
And i just think that speaks to his tenacity and availability. Harris has been a real hero in every season of his career, becoming the first steelers player to run for 1,000 or more yards. In 2023, he had the best season of his career in terms of yards per carry. Harris rushed for 1,035 yards, a 4.1-yard per carry rate, and eight touchdowns. Harris had rushed for 3.9 and 3.8 yards per carry in each of his first two seasons.
