Steelers' Najee Harris' 5th Year Option May Not Be A Sure Thing With 'Starter In Waiting'

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has been as busy as a bee during the 2024 offseason. He signed Russell Wilson, Patrick Queen and Deshon Elliott as free-agent upgrades for Mike Tomlin to deploy. Khan did not stop at signing impact free agents. He traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and got the defender to take a pay cut for the 2024 season. In what is becoming an annual tradition for Khan, the Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. 

With all the activity, it is easy to forget that a decision on Najee Harris' fifth-year option has to be made. He is the first Steelers running back to start his career with three 1,000-yard seasons and holds the franchise rookie reception record. Harris is part of a highly effective tandem with Jaylen Warren and would be due $6.79 million if the franchise picked up the option for 2025.

On Thursday, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic joined the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show. During a quick segment on Wednesday, Kaboly told Joe Starkey that he no longer believed the Steelers would pick up Harris' fifth-year option or negotiate a long-term deal with the 2021 first-round draft pick. Kaboly expanded on his thoughts and explained his thinking to Dorin Dickerson and Adam Crowley. 

"I just keep going back and forth on this one," Kaboly said. "I was pretty sure that they would, then afterward, I saw what happened in free agency two weeks ago with all the running backs going so quickly. It sort of changed my mind a little bit here."

The running back position has been devalued in the last few years, but the 2024 free-agent market saw players like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs secure solid deals by leaving their former teams. Both were forced to play out fifth-year options, and the New York Giants went a step further by franchise-tagging Barkley after the 2022 season. The market may be turning for top-flight running backs, and Kaboly suggests that what he would do and what he thinks the organization will do might be different. 

"I'm not sold either way right now," Kaboly said. "If I was the Steelers, I probably would pick up the fifth-year option, but I wouldn't sign him to a long-term extension. That seems more logical than anything else. But a dozen running backs come off the board, for the most part, at a decent price. I don't know if that changes their mode of thinking or not. We'll find out here in a couple of weeks."

Pittsburgh is no longer conducting business as usual under Khan. The Steelers have built through the draft for decades. The best free agent signing in the franchise's history is James Farrior, who became a key player on three Super Bowl teams. That was over 15 years ago. 

Khan's decision on Harris is complicated by the fact that the Steelers have what many fans think is a highly effective replacement ready to take over. The former undrafted free agent in Warren is a fan favorite, and many have clamored for him to see more playing time. A point Kaboly wryly drives home.

"I'm not sure what they're thinking. They already have a starter in waiting, right?" Kaboly continued. "It's not like they're pressed on it."

Warren has shown flashes of brilliance, and there is no question he is more capable of producing long runs. Harris and Warren are both physical runners and good receivers. They are tremendously effective as a tandem, but the NFL's economic realities will probably dictate that one will move on. Of course, with Khan at the helm, nothing is a given.

Steelers' Omar Khan Faces A Big Decision On Running Back Tandem 

Contrary to Kaboly's statement, the decision is time-sensitive. If the Steelers fail to pick up Harris' option, they will both be free agents after the 2024 season, although, Warren will be a restricted free agent. It could also potentially trigger a holdout by Harris, who was vocal in 2023 about the state of the running back market. Pittsburgh has until May 2nd to make up a decision on Harris.