Gerry Dulac: Don't close the door on a Najee Harris, Steelers reunion just yet

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 9, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Teams searching for a running back, whether in free agency or the draft, hope to find a player who possesses the three most essential and desirable elements for the position — productivity, durability and dependability.

The Steelers have all three with Najee Harris, which, surprisingly, no other team in the NFL can claim.

The former No. 1 pick from Alabama became only the 14th player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons when he finished 2024 with 1,043 yards on 263 attempts. And he did it while playing in every game, which he has in every season since entering the league in 2021.

Despite Harris being something of a rarity in today's NFL, are the Steelers willing to let him play out his rookie contract and become an unrestricted free agent who is free to sign with another team?

Well, don't show him the door just yet.

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.

"Look, Najee is a good player, and we'll evaluate whether we can bring him back," team president/owner Art Rooney II said. "He's going to have choices, too. It's a position that I think is important to us. Obviously, it's important to some other teams that have had success this year. So maybe it's not as devalued as some might have thought."

Since Harris was drafted in the first round in 2021, there have been 51 1,000-yard rushers, including 16 in 2024 — the most since there were 17 in the 2010 season. Harris is the only one who has reached the milestone mark in all four years. Baltimore's Derrick Henry and Tennessee's Tony Pollard are the only other running backs to do it three times in the past four years.

Granted, 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.

But none of those runners has been as durable as Harris. He is the only running back among all 1,000-yard rushers since 2021 to start and play in every game — a remarkable feat considering the number of hits he absorbs as a big, punishing running back.

Harris ranked 17th among all running backs with at least 200 carries in yards per attempt before contact (1.9) and 14th in yards per attempt after contact (2.1).

"Najee has had an awesome four years here," Tomlin said. "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."

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.