Report: Najee Harris Has Already Said Goodbye to Steelers Teammates
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris started saying goodbyes to some Steelers teammates on Sunday, while prepping for the fluid process of free agency, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson.
Pro Football Focus projected that Harris could get a three-year contract at $11.5 million per season earlier this offseason, and now with Saquon Barkley earning $20 million per year, that could go even higher.
The Steelers could have had Harris for a one-year, $6.9 million option on his rookie contract, but they declined it last offseason. At that moment, it really seemed that Harris was heading into his last year in the Black and Gold. And that appears to be the case.
The Steelers drafted Najee Harris with the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, Harris has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons as a professional. This past season, he went for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns on 263 carries.
Despite taking his lumps, he’s been durable for the Steelers, having not missed a game for the team. It ultimately came down to a business decision to not place the fifth-year option on Harris.
“It was a business decision that we had to make by May 2,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said last June on 93.7 The Fan. “But Najee’s awesome to have around here. Love Najee as a player and a person. Just because we didn’t pick it up doesn’t exclude us from doing something with Najee long-term. I’d love to say Najee was here and had a long career in Pittsburgh. He really represents us well on and off the field.”
Las Vegas, Dallas, the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago, Denver and Minnesota are all potential landing spots for Harris in free agency.
Harris has never been known to be a speedster, his longest career run is only 37 yards. That’s why NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks it would be wise for the Steelers to move on from him.
“They’re just not fast enough. Najee Harris, I know he’s a fan favorite because he’s tough, falls forward, and he’s physical,” Jeremiah said on the Shek Show with Dave Dameshek. “He’s got no juice. If you’re going to be a team reliant on the run game, you’ve got to be able to pop some explosive runs. That’s not 10-15 yards, that’s 50 or 60 yards.”
During his season-ending press conference, Mike Tomlin praised Harris for his consistency over his four years in Pittsburgh. On the surface, it sounded like a departing salute.
“Naj has had an awesome four years here,” Tomlin said. “I understand that he is a free agent. Again, it’s at the very beginnings of that process in terms of us assessing what we’re capable of doing or what we desire to do. And I’d imagine it’s the same thing from a player’s perspective.
“But rest assured, we’ve had a good experience with him and obviously the ridiculous consistency in his performance in terms of producing four straight 1,000-yard seasons speaks for itself.”