Over the weekend the Pittsburgh Steelers news and rumors continued to swirl. One of those rumors was the fact the Steelers and pending free agent Najee Harris might still be talking about a new deal which would keep the former first round draft pick in the black-and-gold for years to come.

This report came from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac:

Even though the Steelers declined to pick up his fifth-year option before the 2024 season, there is a strong possibility he could be signed to a new contract before the start of free agency on March 12. Coach Mike Tomlin has always liked Harris and his bruising style since he made him the 24th overall pick in the 2021 draft. And nothing appears to have changed.

The Steelers would not use the franchise tag on Harris because the price tag to do so ($13.6 million projected) would be too high.

But, if he is re-signed, it is expected to be a two- or three-year deal that would average between $7 million and $10 million annually. Of course, it is up to Harris if he is willing to accept an offer, though it might be prudent.

The 2025 draft class is deep with quality running backs, which means the going price for a running back in the free agent market will not be at a premium. 

To me, this doesn’t make much sense. If the Steelers wanted to keep Harris for the 2025 season at that price point, they could have signed his 5th year option, guaranteeing him remaining with the team for at least next season. From there they have option as it pertains to the franchise tag to keep Harris with the team after next season.

Paying Harris upwards of $10 million a season seems absorbent, especially based on his overall production. Throughout Dulac’s article he consistently points to one reason for the Steelers wanting to do business with Harris, and it isn’t because of him being a first round draft pick for the team. Instead, it’s all based on durability.

Dulac is pulling the “your best ability is your availability” line as the primary reason to keep Harris.

While being available is a valuable asset to the team, it isn’t like Harris has produced to the level of earning a lucrative second contract with the Steelers. At least not in my opinion. It isn’t as if I don’t value Harris, there is a reason I thought the Steelers should pick up his 5th year option, but I never thought a long term deal would have been the smart move for the organization. You would think they learned their lesson from drafting Harris in the 1st Round when they didn’t have an offensive line in place to open up holes for the bigger, less elusive, running back.

When looking at the comparative numbers, Harris’ yards per attempt since 2021 (3.9) do not compare to some of the league’s elite running backs, in particular Saquon Barkley (5.7), Christian McCaffrey (4.87), Jonathan Taylor (4.86) and Henry (4.74) — players who have had multiple 1,000-yard seasons in the past four years. On top of that, the 1,000 yard plateau for running backs has been cheapened since the expansion to a 17-game regular season.

I stand by my opinion that if Harris hits the open market the only way he returns is if his market value is low. If he doesn’t get a deal which out does the Steelers, in which case he would sign with the team based on them having the best deal available. Otherwise, I think he gets a contract somewhere else which would provide better monetary value to him. That is, if the Steelers let him test the open market in the first place, Dulac eluded to the team trying to get a deal done before free agency.

But why would Harris even do that?

That wasn’t the only running back news coming from Dulac’s latest piece. He also had this to say about pending Restricted Free Agent (RFA) Jaylen Warren:

Meantime, the Steelers are expected to tender an offer to Jaylen Warren, who is a restricted free agent. At the very least, it would be a right-of-first-refusal offer that would cost them $3.185 million in 2025. That would allow the Steelers to match any offer Warren might receive from another team.

A second-round tender would cost a projected $5.217 million, meaning the Steelers would get a second-round draft choice in return if they would choose not to match any offer Warren might receive from another team. 

The Steelers have always wanted to keep Warren in the fold, and it would make sense they keep one of their two backs in the organization heading into the offseason.

Decisions like the one the organization has to make this offseason on Najee Harris are the decisions which can absolutely hinder a team’s overall ability to address real holes on their roster. If you allocate $10 million to Harris, that’s $10 million which could be spent at a position of greater need, especially when it has been proven time and time again quality running backs can be had in the mid-to-late rounds of the NFL Draft or in free agency.

Unless the running back is elite, and I don’t think Harris would fall into that category, it isn’t worth it.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the offseason.