Steelers make surprising decision on Najee Harris

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers make surprising decision on three-time 1,000-yard rusher Najee Harris

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/2/24

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made an interesting decision regarding the fifth-year option of running back Najee Harris.

The Steelers have decided not to pick up Harris’ fifth-year option, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. The option would have cost roughly $6.7 million, making the decision very surprising. While there remains some chance of a long-term commitment later, the Steelers want to see how Harris performs in the team’s new offense before making that sort of move.

Steelers are declining Najee Harris’ fifth year option, per source.

With the new offense being installed, the feeling is the organization wants to see how Harris and the RBs function in Arthur Smith’s offense before making a longer term commitment to him.

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 2, 2024

However the Steelers want to spin it, this certainly casts some doubt on Harris’ long-term future with Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old was once again a 1,000-yard rusher in 2023, as he has been in each of his three NFL seasons and he still scored eight rushing touchdowns. However, he lost some of his workload, particularly on receiving downs, to fellow back Jaylen Warren.

Harris had plenty of complaints about Pittsburgh’s offense last season. Things appear likely to change in 2024, but it remains to be seen how big a part of those changes he will be.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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