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Could Najee Harris Want Out of Steelers?
Najee Harris could hope the Steelers don't want to pick up his fifth-year option.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Najee Harris have hit a pivotal time in their professional relationship this spring, with the deadline to pick up fifth-year option for the former first-round pick looming.
The Steelers have a little over two weeks to decide if they want to exercise their option to keep Harris under contract for an extra year beyond his standard rookie contract but Brian Batko, Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, speculated that Harris could hope the Steelers don't pick up the option.
"There’s little doubt he hates losing. He was part of a lot of success in college at Alabama and hasn’t seen those same postseason highs yet in Pittsburgh. Harris has the will to win and the will to prepare to win, but whether the Steelers reward him for that work ethic remains to be seen," Batko wrote. "That’s if Harris even wants his option year picked up. He’s a West Coast guy through and through, and if given the chance to hit the open market a season earlier, he could try to get that coveted second contract closer to home."
Harris grew up in Antioch, California, roughly a 90-minute drive northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge, before enrolling at Alabama to play his college ball. That means there are a handful of NFL franchises that could offer him a roster spot closer to home - the 49ers, Broncos, Seahawks, Raiders and either Los Angeles teams.
If the Steelers opted to use the fifth-year option on Harris and he doesn't want to stay in Pittsburgh for another season, things could get messy. It's a team option, not a player option and Harris would have to hold out and demand a trade if he doesn't want to stick with the franchise on his fifth-year option.
Harris has been productive player for the Steelers ever since he was drafted in 2020. Harris has amassed 3,269 yards over his first three seasons and scored 22 rushing touchdowns over that same span. He set career-highs in rushing touchdowns and yards per carry in 2023 with budding standout Jaylen Warren rising to become Harris' partner in the backfield.
But it's Warren's emergence as one half of an ultra-productive running back tandem that has some believing that Harris' $6.79 million cap hit on the fifth-year option - which would be the seventh-highest among running backs right now - might not be worth it.
"It’s tough out there these days for a running back," Batko noted. "Teams often run their wheels off, then move on to the next guy in the draft. Or they find an undrafted gem such as Warren, keeping the cost low at a position that depends so much on external factors — scheme, offensive line play, a passing game to keep defenses back."
