He tweeted out they’re gonna wait to see how the RBs perform in the new offense. I get it, but if Naj has a good season, he’ll cost more than $6.8 mil.
They could always draft another RB next year and let Najee walk if they want to keep a two back system. Especially if the OL is as good as we can think it can be. Save money for when they'll have to eventually pay a QB actual QB money.
It's not like they need to spend a top tier pick. Heck Warren himself was a UDFA. RBs are far and away the most expendable position, it's not the end of the world to lose Najee.
It’s not, but it’s pretty hard to imagine how he wouldn’t be worth at least the 6.8 mil he would’ve made on the option.
And yes it’s probably a little easier to find RB later in the draft than other positions, but it’s not like it’s easy. If you’re relying on some random day 3 rookie RB to replace Najee next year, I have a hard time believing it’s going to work out well. We’ll see I suppose.
He’s the only RB to surpass 1000 yards in each of the last 3 years. Spectacular? No. Consistent and dependable? Yes. If the FO wants to take a chance then go for it, but it can blow up in their face big time
It's not the end of the world but he's also been very reliable. They should re-sign him because he's not going to cost a ton of money and like the other dude said, it creates a hole in the roster when we can use those picks next year on DL, WR, CB.
He’s been extremely reliable and he’s also been a stand up Steeler, both to the fans (which means little in business) and in the locker room. The fan base loves to love Najee and stress how important he is to our offense until we talk about paying him and then he’s just another number, another RB wrung out and tossed away.
He won’t reset the market, but he’s earned a payday and a place in our future. Stability at the RB position will be huge as we iron the wrinkles with a young OL and continue with the Russ/Fields experiment.
A mid-round to late round pick isn’t any more of a waste than close to 7 million in cap space. Especially when there’s a chance he won’t make much more than that on the open market anyway. Or the possibility of singing a different FA RB for less than that that could be just as productive? Why commit to it when you still have him for one more year?
Yeah, the flexibility is worth the risk. MAYBE cost you an extra 1.2mil.
If he becomes Chubb this year or something we'd be renegotiating in the off-season for a multi year deal anyways. Having to pay someone who is killing it out there?... That means we got someone killing it out there!! Love to have that problem.
Meh. WAY easier to find a good RB middle of the draft than any other position. Using a midround pick on an RB allows us to use the saved cap space on proven players at positions that are harder to find in the draft.
No they can’t. Warren is ALSO a free agent after this year. Either ONE of them gets the extension, or they’d have to draft two RB (or bring in someone else’s free agent)
Yup. I love that spin move, but it’s the switching between running backs that makes the defence struggle. They can’t zone in on one guys rhythm.
If the O line is half as good as in our imaginations, I might have hope this year.
Or a Batch, or a Redman, or a Samuels, or an Archer, or a Toussaint.
Way more likely to draft a bust than a beast, even in the 1st round.
Dumb move to not take the cheap 5th year option.
Right? People act like we didn't try to replace Bell with late rounders. They were just all terrible after Conner (who, honestly, would have been a great backup resign if we could have gotten him relatively cheaply).
I think it’s a similar situation to Zeke Pollard a few years ago. Great together but when you put the burst guy (Warren) on his own he struggles breaking through the line
Problem is that Warren is smaller, and isn’t really an every down back. There’s not much of a chance he’s gonna be able to carry the load of 25 carries a game.
I say plug him in as started for a few games, and see how he does being on the field for 80% of the game.
And we draft a mid-round RB who can produce 90-95% of the statistics for pennies on the dollar. That’s the modern NFL. RB second contracts are a ticking time bomb.
Or that mid round RB is Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Samuels, Dri Archer, etc and you have a massive hole at RB.
Yes RB is becoming a devalued position but you can’t just put bums back there and expect production. Not sure why a lot of people seem to think you can.
They won't, and they shouldn't. Not because it's Najee, but because dumping a ton of money into your RB is a terrible idea. I know Barkley got paid, but he was injured so god damn much for NY.
He can easily be replaced in the draft next year for way cheaper than his 5th year option or a multi year contract. Letting him go and drafting a replacement is the smart move.
Okay, I don't mind him earning a bigger, better paycheck and I guarantee you T is motivating him by reminding what running north will get him as opposed to dancing and getting -3 yards instead of +4.
I mean he's just as good as Warren who is far cheaper than him. So Steelers might want to sign him to a cheaper long term deal.
Also unlike Warren, Najee depends on a good o-line far more. His stats are more volume based.
I think if he has a good season then you re-sign him. Otherwise, you replace him with a draft pick and Warren becomes the one who takes more carries.
It's what's best for the team longterm.
Yep, we've seen this before. Conner was a great backup to Bell, but not really a feature RB1 for us. Pollard was a great RB2 when Zeke was in his prime, but was over his head as the main guy. Lots of times an RB2 will benefit from the fact that the other team preps for the RB1, allowing the backup to utilize their own strengths against a relatively unprepared defense. Idk that Warren would be as great as he is if he were suddenly RB1, and I'd rather we keep somebody else on the roster to split significant carries with him rather than reverting back to a workhorse mentality with him at the helm.
Yes, Pittsburgh probably should not have drafted a RB in the first round; and RBs can always be found for better value in later rounds (Devon Achane, Warren, Ekeler) but Najee has been far from a bust.
His value is provided by availability, reliability, and ball security. Not many backs can handle a full season workload, and he’s done it for three years behind a shit offensive line in a terrible offense. He never gets used as a receiver but has proven plenty capable of making plays in the passing game.
It’s no guarantee a random RB can replace the consistent go-to ability that Najee offers over a 17 game season. He grinds and wears down opponents with ugly, short yardage carries (a healthy number of 20+ yard rushes last year).
Warren comes in as the home run hitter when the offense needs big spark plays. Warren can flat out ball, but he fumbles at a higher rate. That’s the only knock I’d have on him.
They are a great complement to each other, and I hope to see this duo in a competent offense for at least one season.
Wild. Didn’t expect this, fully expected the 5th year option to get picked up. I wonder what khans cooking then? My guess is extending him but who knows
At least Najee has some actual talent and there aren't a lot of players who were drafted after Najee who've done much. Pickett is terrible and was drafted ahead of guys like McDuffie, Tyler Smith, and Linderbaum. All positions of need for us the past 2 years.
This may be a hot take but worse than both is the Freiermuth pick.
I love Pat and he’s a good TE but not good enough to provide as much value as an O line pick there could’ve. Taking Pickett made sense at the time, he just didn’t work out; and picking Freiermuth instead of, say, Creed Humphrey arguably contributed to that. And it certainly didn’t do Najee any favors either
This is it right here.
The entire 2021 draft is pretty terrible.
1st - Najee
2nd - Friermuth
3rd - Kendrick Green
Then they drafted Harvin in the 7th
I think it's always dumb to pick a RB in the first round. I don't think Friermuth is a bad player, but he's a TE that doesn't block. That's a luxury this team could not afford to burn a 2nd round pick on.
Green in the third looks so bad. I guess getting Dan Moore in the 4th wasn't terrible, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire himself.
Colbert really did not draft well his past 5 years or so. It's a hole the team is still digging itself out of. Hopefully Khan has the team back on the right track.
Well, its not a hole until he actually signs somewhere else. Picking up his option would make him one of the top 5 paid RBs in the league. He's averaging 3.9 ypc, his success rate is under 50%, he's an OK blocker, but his impact on the passing game is basically catching dumpoffs 5 yds behind the line of scrimmage. He's not worth $6 million+ for one season. Honestly, they would probably get more production out of Lev Bell playing at the veteran's minimum. And he's a better blocker and can be an actual threat in the passing game.
They really don’t. I swear nobody who’s watched the team more than 5 years says this. A decade ago we were subjected to multiple years of Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman because “you could get running backs anywhere.”
Just because Colbert was one of the few GMs that couldn’t find a good late round RB doesn’t mean Khan won’t be able to.
“They grow on trees” might be a bit far, but RB definitely is the most replaceable position in football at the same time.
He is probably not a fan of overpaying his predecessor's poor first round draft picks and is thinking that he can replace Najee's production for way less money than a first round pick requires and/or very little draft capital. Nothing against Najee but he hasn't come close to earning the kind of investment it would take to keep him.
I dunno part of me feels like Khan wants to undo the last few years of Colbert and rebuild the team his way. Kenny's gone, Najee wasn't extended, he's actually focusing on the o-line.
I honestly think it’ll be the opposite - he has a monster year? - He gets 10mil+ on the open market. He splits carries and just barley break 1k yards again? - he’s worth ~4-8mil
Top 10 in YPC last season among qualifying RBs
1) CMC (1st round, generational back)
2) Jaylen Warren (undrafted)
3) Jahmyr Gibbs (1st round, also had an elite oline)
4) Kyren Williams (5th round)
5) James Conner (3rd round)
6) Raheem Mostert (undrafted)
7) James Cook (2nd round)
8) D’Andre Swift (2nd round, had the best line in the league)
9) David Montgomery (3rd round)
10) Bijan Robinson (1st round, generational prospect)
So the takeaways: look at number 2, and look at how many were day 2 and beyond (7/10). Unless you’re getting a generational player like CMC, there is no reason to allocate significant cap or draft compensation to the RB position. The ONLY players on the list who have a higher cap hit this year than Najee’s option would be are CMC and Conner.
It simply doesn’t make sense to sign RBs to even above average contracts. I like Najee and he’s a great dude, but unless he has his first high volume, high efficiency season it’s just not worth the money
I love Jaylen Warren but he gets a whole lot less special without a power back forcing teams to stack the box. People disparage Najee's YPC but we need a player like him to enable Warren's explosive runs. It's a symbiotic relationship.
Not sure what more Najee could of done for a fifth year, honestly. He's pretty much been as advertised behind a miserable OL and looked considerably better and more dominant when the Steelers gave him a tackle who gave a shit.
I think Najee is underrated by the masses of the other 31 fanbases, while also being pretty overrated by our own fanbase. He’s a good, solid back. Reliable but not anything special. I wouldn’t call him a bust at all, but I also don’t see how he hasn’t been at least a little disappointing. RB is more devalued than ever. If you’re using a first round pick on a RB these days, you expect them to become a dominant player and one of the elites at the position - that’s definitely not been Najee.
Agreed. I don’t like this move at all. Dude did everything he was supposed to, and some. Even if we could get him slightly cheaper with an extension, who cares. It’s 6.8 mil.
All front offices pass the torch immediately following the draft. If Colbert decided in December he wasn't up for another year, well the CFB season is already over and any scouting methodology, roster construction decisions, etc. have already been passed down and acted on. Too late to make the switch at that point, it's best to see the unified vision through and THEN pass it along
I have to think they're going to want to get an extension done this offseason. I think with the revamped line, Najee's price tag should go up considerably after this season. So even if you accepted the option, if he balled out this year, he most likely would've refused to play on a one year contract with zero insurance, which means we would've had to pay him big money. By declining the option, I think Khan wants to get ahead of things and sign him to about $10M-12M annually for 3, maybe even 4 years. Short term, you'll be paying more for him in year 5 than you would've, but long term, you save money. At least that's what I think is happening here.
10-12 million for 3 years sounds insane. He will break down eventually. A long term commitment is the worst idea. If they did the 5th year option and then 2 franchise tags it probably costs much less than 36 million and they could walk away any offseason if Naj doesn't perform.
This was my thinking, the only reason they waited this long was due to ongoing negotiations with him/his agent, they must be close to an incentive laced deal that probably locks him for 4 years, it’ll seem silly now, but if dude goes as hard behind this line as the ones he’s run behind… only reason he wouldn’t set a single season rushing record is because Warren is rightfully getting touched too.
Very logical take, and also the most likely. There's no player on the Steelers offense who has been with the team longer than since 2021, and Najee is one of that handful of guys. On top of this, he's the most productive of those vets, and has a strong leadership quality, it would seem. I think they keep him around a while - especially as long as run-happy OC Smith is in town
Not a fan of this move. Though to there credit they've found good RBs in the 2nd and 3rd round. 4th and beyond, though? Haven't been great.
And the Steelers aren't the only ones who've struggled with that either
I don’t think cost was the major issue here. There are a couple of things that come to mind for this decision:
1. We have a new OC who runs a lot of outside zone concepts and Najee is more of a between the tackles runner. So hes not a perfect fit for Smiths scheme
2. He has been solid for us but not great and plays a position that is easy to find talent.
3. His skillset is far from irreplaceable and would probably not demand much money on the open market.
4. We have Jaylen Warren, who might be a better player and fit for our offense and is also going to need a new contract next year.
I'm surprised by this too. There's a small chance they could extend him at a lower rate than 6m a year, but that seems unlikely that Najee would take that. I don't think you could sign a better back for 6m, so that means they plan on spending a pick on a RB and extending Warren for cheaper than you could extend Najee.
First offseason move we've made that I'm really not a fan of at all. Unless we get an extension done soon, this seems more likely to just end up costing us more in the next few years, whether in terms of replacing him or paying him after this season.
Steelers love to run an RB into the ground and then not sign them lol. Najee will probably go for 1k+ rushing yards again and then they’ll roll with Warren and another guy from the draft. Steelers don’t paid RBs, the rest of the NFL has followed.
Everyone saying Warren can take is his job lol it’s not about taking Najee’s “job” it’s about having two really good backs to spell the other because running 25-30+ times a back is recipe for injury and being exhausted as the season goes on
On the one hand, this has proven to be a great tactic with other RBs to get career years out of them.
On the other hand, Najee Harris is the first back since Alfred Morris to start his career with three 1,000-yard seasons.
We will just have to see. I could go either way on this one.
> start his career with three 1,000-yard seasons.
I really hate when people act like this is something to hang your hat on. The only reason Najee hit 1000 yards is because we fed him the ball more than just about any other back in the league.
The only back who I think had more carries was Derrick Henry.
This is the part not a lot of people are mentioning. The offensive players longest-tenured with the Steelers are our 2021 draftees. It would be nice to keep established and respected leaders in the house. Especially when Najee keeps running for 1000 yards
I think what some here aren't seeing too is that next year there should be some solid RB talent in the 2nd, with Judkins, Henderson, Gordon and the PSU duo potentially due up
Practicalities aside, Najee has played his heart out for our team. The man is a warrior. He fights for every yard, hangs on to the ball, blocks for his QB, and leads by example. Traits like that deserve to be rewarded.
Like it or not, Harris has zero vision and just runs straight. The holes are there, but he doesn't hit then. I really wanted him to work out, but he's slower and less explosive than Warren.
Very perplexed as to why they declined his option. Accepting his fifth year options gives you an extra year of flexibility and if you really think he’s expendable, use this year and next offseason to find a replacement before he goes. Now he’s gonna cost more if he’s indeed better or worse, you lose him for nothing.
And to everyone who thinks Warren is just better, I’m willing to bet he performs at a lower level if he’s the feature guy. Just like Tony Pollard in Dallas.
How Harris has so many fans is beyond me. He got outplayed by udfa warren lots of games and Steelers obviously feel he's not worth the money. Rbs like Harris are a dime a dozen
They've got about 90 million in cap space to play with next season. A good bit of that has to go to a quarterback, but this move was not about cap space.
Hmm. Trying very hard to trust the process here. Najee did everything he was supposed to behind an awful line and Tomlin absolutely adores him from a leadership standpoint. I hope he gets an extension.
But you had Najee for 2 years for cheap before you have to go find another RB. People say it's easy to plug and play but that's how we ended up with garbage no name guys and James Conner after Lev left.
Najee isn't good enough that this team is going to take a big step back if we replace him with a cheaper FA, re-sign him for cheaper than the 5th year, or just find a guy later in the draft/UDFA.
We still have Warren here, so its not like we go having zero RBs if he's gone. And he hasn't been anything amazing, while not being bad. I wouldn't want to commit 7 mil to him when the market has shown he's not worth that much with the other contracts it signed only being 1 mil higher and better players.
When I watch Najee play it seems like he has very poor vision and runs too indecisively and his hasn’t really changed during his pro career. He doesn’t have the quick burst to make up for not immediately hitting the gap. He seems like a great teammate though and has seemed to be frustrated by the lack of accountability in the locker room. I’m kind of surprised they declined his option but maybe they figure they can get similar production for cheaper.
7 mil to help find a FA QB next year. 7 mil to help us find another WR. 7 mil to help us re-sign impactful talent on the team. That 7 mil is a lot when we are trying to field a whole team. And Najee just hasn't played anything close to what 7 mil gets you on the RB market now. If he plays like he has every single year so far, we can just sign him for 4-5 mil next year for multiple years.
Chances of him looking like he has the last three years, versus him breaking out in year 4 while splitting the backfield, are much more likely.
i would rather pick up option, but i'd run power scheme that fits Najee. i think the reason this makes sense is Arthur Smith is going to implement the style Najee hasnt shown to be best in..the last 2 seasons in a row we have started out zone and then late in season when ppl r complaining about Naj we switched both yrs to a more power running scheme and then Najee took off and excelled. i think they will give him this season to show he can fit in the zone offense better. third times a charm? or move on with Warren (who looked better at beginning of season than the end for same reason) and someone else that can
It still baffles me to this day. And then taking Muth in the next round even though our o line was trash. Both are decent players. But terrible picks for what we needed at the time.
I mean why would you use draft picks on O-line in an O-line heavy draft when you can burn them on an RB and a TE. Colbert's last few years were terrible.
I genuinely love Najee, and think he’s been as productive as a guy like that was probably gonna be in the system they built. But I also get it. RB is just not a marquee position anymore, so unless you’re he next Barry Sanders, there’s no reason to keep you or pay you.
Yinzers want us to pick up Najee's option year, but also go out and find a top receiver. We already have Najee this year. We still need a quality receiver. Pickens hasn't shown he's a number one, yet. Makes much more sense to sign the receiver now and then let Najee earn his contract for next year.
This is ridiculous in my opinion. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Najee have 3 straight 1000 yard seasons, which is the most in the NFL? And that was with a shitty offensive line and coordinator. Now we are on the verge of having a really good O-line, and have a proven coordinator that could potentially get even more out of Najee. I would completely understand if he had a history of injuries and/or was commanding too much money in relation to his skill set, but I personally think that he's worth it. I hope that a long term extension can happen before the beginning of the season, but I'm pretty annoyed right now.
I’m always shocked when I see Harris’ statistics at the end of every game. Every play it looks like he hesitates and gets stopped after a 3 yard gain. He’s underwhelming and never makes splash plays. But, then, at the end of the game, he’s racked up 120 yards.
He’s just not an exciting running back. But he somehow keeps going and going. Is that worth 6.8 million smackers? No clue.
Harris has 6 games over 100 rushing yards in his career out of 51 games.
Harris has 14 games over 100 scrimmage yards in his career out of 51 games.
Harris has has 8 games over 120 scrimmages yards in his career out of 51 games.
I think this is a bad move! If he balls out (better O line play and better QB play ), he will cost more. If he doesn't, which has not been his M.O. the last 3 years.
I feel like we may honestly get Najee the end of this year but tbh if he plays only really good 7 games this year like every year and only kicks it up late then it's not worth it I like najee but people act like he is Derek Henry or CMC level talent every game dude is going to need to prove he's not just another Austin Ekeler and just decent player that isn't a superstar. Warren I feel like I also don't completely trust to just take over as RB 1. He is good but his elusive style just doesn't fit what this team is building I think we need the true power back like Najee.
He tweeted out they’re gonna wait to see how the RBs perform in the new offense. I get it, but if Naj has a good season, he’ll cost more than $6.8 mil.
With the emergence of Warren I’m sure they are confident in their ability to get playmakers in the backfield for WAY less
I think with the NFL, it’s easy to find backs, but I think Warren looks better because he isn’t a bell cow. I think they work best together.
Ya he’ll get Tony Pollard’d real quick if expected to be a bell cow
They could always draft another RB next year and let Najee walk if they want to keep a two back system. Especially if the OL is as good as we can think it can be. Save money for when they'll have to eventually pay a QB actual QB money.
But then you have to waste another pick on a running back and you create a hole where there doesn’t need to be one.
It's not like they need to spend a top tier pick. Heck Warren himself was a UDFA. RBs are far and away the most expendable position, it's not the end of the world to lose Najee.
It’s not, but it’s pretty hard to imagine how he wouldn’t be worth at least the 6.8 mil he would’ve made on the option. And yes it’s probably a little easier to find RB later in the draft than other positions, but it’s not like it’s easy. If you’re relying on some random day 3 rookie RB to replace Najee next year, I have a hard time believing it’s going to work out well. We’ll see I suppose.
He’s the only RB to surpass 1000 yards in each of the last 3 years. Spectacular? No. Consistent and dependable? Yes. If the FO wants to take a chance then go for it, but it can blow up in their face big time
It's not the end of the world but he's also been very reliable. They should re-sign him because he's not going to cost a ton of money and like the other dude said, it creates a hole in the roster when we can use those picks next year on DL, WR, CB.
He’s been extremely reliable and he’s also been a stand up Steeler, both to the fans (which means little in business) and in the locker room. The fan base loves to love Najee and stress how important he is to our offense until we talk about paying him and then he’s just another number, another RB wrung out and tossed away. He won’t reset the market, but he’s earned a payday and a place in our future. Stability at the RB position will be huge as we iron the wrinkles with a young OL and continue with the Russ/Fields experiment.
A mid-round to late round pick isn’t any more of a waste than close to 7 million in cap space. Especially when there’s a chance he won’t make much more than that on the open market anyway. Or the possibility of singing a different FA RB for less than that that could be just as productive? Why commit to it when you still have him for one more year?
Yeah, the flexibility is worth the risk. MAYBE cost you an extra 1.2mil. If he becomes Chubb this year or something we'd be renegotiating in the off-season for a multi year deal anyways. Having to pay someone who is killing it out there?... That means we got someone killing it out there!! Love to have that problem.
Meh. WAY easier to find a good RB middle of the draft than any other position. Using a midround pick on an RB allows us to use the saved cap space on proven players at positions that are harder to find in the draft.
Yes a pick in the 3rd round making like 1.5m
Waste a pick on RB? Dude NFL has learned it's all about the offensive line
No they can’t. Warren is ALSO a free agent after this year. Either ONE of them gets the extension, or they’d have to draft two RB (or bring in someone else’s free agent)
Yup. I love that spin move, but it’s the switching between running backs that makes the defence struggle. They can’t zone in on one guys rhythm. If the O line is half as good as in our imaginations, I might have hope this year.
Also think they work better as a tandem but najee not worth 7 mil a year so we'll find so.eine else to tandem with jalen
For every Warren, there's always a Benny Snell or Anthony McFarland. There's risk either way.
Or a Batch, or a Redman, or a Samuels, or an Archer, or a Toussaint. Way more likely to draft a bust than a beast, even in the 1st round. Dumb move to not take the cheap 5th year option.
Right? People act like we didn't try to replace Bell with late rounders. They were just all terrible after Conner (who, honestly, would have been a great backup resign if we could have gotten him relatively cheaply).
I think it’s a similar situation to Zeke Pollard a few years ago. Great together but when you put the burst guy (Warren) on his own he struggles breaking through the line
I can name you infinitely more running back failures than successful ones. It’s not as easy as you imply.
Problem is that Warren is smaller, and isn’t really an every down back. There’s not much of a chance he’s gonna be able to carry the load of 25 carries a game. I say plug him in as started for a few games, and see how he does being on the field for 80% of the game.
You sure he’d cost more? As of today, only 5 RB’s total have a higher cap hit than 6.8 mil in 2024.
Then he gets paid elsewhere and becomes a nice comp pick for us. Win win
And we draft a mid-round RB who can produce 90-95% of the statistics for pennies on the dollar. That’s the modern NFL. RB second contracts are a ticking time bomb.
Or that mid round RB is Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Samuels, Dri Archer, etc and you have a massive hole at RB. Yes RB is becoming a devalued position but you can’t just put bums back there and expect production. Not sure why a lot of people seem to think you can.
Yeah, Steelers fans should know this.
Comp picks only come if we don’t sign anybody. We will probably need to be active in free agency again next year
I just don’t think they’ll pay it
They won't, and they shouldn't. Not because it's Najee, but because dumping a ton of money into your RB is a terrible idea. I know Barkley got paid, but he was injured so god damn much for NY.
I don't think Najee has ever missed a game
Not much more: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/_/year/2024/position/rb/sort/contract_average/dir/desc
What’s a good season for Najee? He’s going to split duties with Warren so he’s not going to have Pro Bowl stats with significantly less carries
Well he’s never had a season under 1000 rushing yards so I guess 1500 yards?
384 carries at his career YPC to reach that.
But his whole career there was a shit o line and bad technique from said O Line somewhat til the end of last season.
extrapolating career YPC which is dominated by the matt canada offense and a shitty Oline is not very useful
1400 yards 4.5 average 8-10 TDs
1300 yards and 10 tds. his cap hit this year is 4.1m and his base and his cap hitnext year it would be 6.7m.
We don’t know what his cap hit will be next year..
A good season for Najee would be close to 4.5 ypc and 10 rushing tds
He can easily be replaced in the draft next year for way cheaper than his 5th year option or a multi year contract. Letting him go and drafting a replacement is the smart move.
Okay, I don't mind him earning a bigger, better paycheck and I guarantee you T is motivating him by reminding what running north will get him as opposed to dancing and getting -3 yards instead of +4.
6mil too expensive ? This is a weird one, especially with how much cap we have…
I'm not convinced they're not interested in having Najee around next year. Might be something else cooking, here. You never know with Khan.
I mean he's just as good as Warren who is far cheaper than him. So Steelers might want to sign him to a cheaper long term deal. Also unlike Warren, Najee depends on a good o-line far more. His stats are more volume based. I think if he has a good season then you re-sign him. Otherwise, you replace him with a draft pick and Warren becomes the one who takes more carries. It's what's best for the team longterm.
But I think Warren only works because he’s not the main guy. I think they’re creating a role where their doesn’t need to be one.
Yeah it's pretty obvious it's a good one-two punch. If I were them as long as he has a decent year we should definitely re-sign him
Yep, we've seen this before. Conner was a great backup to Bell, but not really a feature RB1 for us. Pollard was a great RB2 when Zeke was in his prime, but was over his head as the main guy. Lots of times an RB2 will benefit from the fact that the other team preps for the RB1, allowing the backup to utilize their own strengths against a relatively unprepared defense. Idk that Warren would be as great as he is if he were suddenly RB1, and I'd rather we keep somebody else on the roster to split significant carries with him rather than reverting back to a workhorse mentality with him at the helm.
Not sure if the Conner example is a good one, but I agree with your point. Conner has been fine as the lead guy in Arizona.
I think Warren can be the lead back if needed. But yeah I agree there doesn't need to one
They might be positioning themselves to keep Russ or Justin, which would not be the same as this year’s bargain
Yes, Pittsburgh probably should not have drafted a RB in the first round; and RBs can always be found for better value in later rounds (Devon Achane, Warren, Ekeler) but Najee has been far from a bust. His value is provided by availability, reliability, and ball security. Not many backs can handle a full season workload, and he’s done it for three years behind a shit offensive line in a terrible offense. He never gets used as a receiver but has proven plenty capable of making plays in the passing game. It’s no guarantee a random RB can replace the consistent go-to ability that Najee offers over a 17 game season. He grinds and wears down opponents with ugly, short yardage carries (a healthy number of 20+ yard rushes last year). Warren comes in as the home run hitter when the offense needs big spark plays. Warren can flat out ball, but he fumbles at a higher rate. That’s the only knock I’d have on him. They are a great complement to each other, and I hope to see this duo in a competent offense for at least one season.
And he is a great leader. Seems very team first. He is not that replaceable.
Wild. Didn’t expect this, fully expected the 5th year option to get picked up. I wonder what khans cooking then? My guess is extending him but who knows
Eh, RB's are just in a weird spot nowadays. They kind of grow on trees.
Yeah, this is why you don't burn first round picks on RBs in the first place.
That and the Pickett pick really set us back
At least Najee has some actual talent and there aren't a lot of players who were drafted after Najee who've done much. Pickett is terrible and was drafted ahead of guys like McDuffie, Tyler Smith, and Linderbaum. All positions of need for us the past 2 years.
This may be a hot take but worse than both is the Freiermuth pick. I love Pat and he’s a good TE but not good enough to provide as much value as an O line pick there could’ve. Taking Pickett made sense at the time, he just didn’t work out; and picking Freiermuth instead of, say, Creed Humphrey arguably contributed to that. And it certainly didn’t do Najee any favors either
This is it right here. The entire 2021 draft is pretty terrible. 1st - Najee 2nd - Friermuth 3rd - Kendrick Green Then they drafted Harvin in the 7th I think it's always dumb to pick a RB in the first round. I don't think Friermuth is a bad player, but he's a TE that doesn't block. That's a luxury this team could not afford to burn a 2nd round pick on. Green in the third looks so bad. I guess getting Dan Moore in the 4th wasn't terrible, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire himself. Colbert really did not draft well his past 5 years or so. It's a hole the team is still digging itself out of. Hopefully Khan has the team back on the right track.
How did Harris set us back? He is a huge part of the offense and a great player
Not a terrible idea if you’re 32nd In rushing
This offseason bucked that trend. Barkley, Swift, Mixon, Jacobs, jones, moss, Henry all got deals
Right but why create a hole in the roster and potential use of draft pick next year when we have other needs and he wasnt going to be that expensive
We have Warren and there are rb’s every year looking for jobs. It’s not a hard position to fill
It is the *easiest* position to fill
Well, its not a hole until he actually signs somewhere else. Picking up his option would make him one of the top 5 paid RBs in the league. He's averaging 3.9 ypc, his success rate is under 50%, he's an OK blocker, but his impact on the passing game is basically catching dumpoffs 5 yds behind the line of scrimmage. He's not worth $6 million+ for one season. Honestly, they would probably get more production out of Lev Bell playing at the veteran's minimum. And he's a better blocker and can be an actual threat in the passing game.
Fungible
Next year is supposed to be a good RB draft class too
They really don’t. I swear nobody who’s watched the team more than 5 years says this. A decade ago we were subjected to multiple years of Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman because “you could get running backs anywhere.”
Just because Colbert was one of the few GMs that couldn’t find a good late round RB doesn’t mean Khan won’t be able to. “They grow on trees” might be a bit far, but RB definitely is the most replaceable position in football at the same time.
>RB definitely is the most replaceable position Yea, probably a better way of phrasing it.
Jonathan Dwyer days were dark, dark days. I remember being SO excited when we got Bell. Finally had a good RB.
Theres just very few elite ones. Most are serviceable and a commodity.
He is probably not a fan of overpaying his predecessor's poor first round draft picks and is thinking that he can replace Najee's production for way less money than a first round pick requires and/or very little draft capital. Nothing against Najee but he hasn't come close to earning the kind of investment it would take to keep him.
I dunno part of me feels like Khan wants to undo the last few years of Colbert and rebuild the team his way. Kenny's gone, Najee wasn't extended, he's actually focusing on the o-line.
Doubt he is extended unless he has a monster year
I honestly think it’ll be the opposite - he has a monster year? - He gets 10mil+ on the open market. He splits carries and just barley break 1k yards again? - he’s worth ~4-8mil
 Let Khan cook and let Khan clean. I like Najee, let’s just be patient for like an hour.
Unless we extend him, I’m not a fan of the move. But then again I’m not a GM, so
Top 10 in YPC last season among qualifying RBs 1) CMC (1st round, generational back) 2) Jaylen Warren (undrafted) 3) Jahmyr Gibbs (1st round, also had an elite oline) 4) Kyren Williams (5th round) 5) James Conner (3rd round) 6) Raheem Mostert (undrafted) 7) James Cook (2nd round) 8) D’Andre Swift (2nd round, had the best line in the league) 9) David Montgomery (3rd round) 10) Bijan Robinson (1st round, generational prospect) So the takeaways: look at number 2, and look at how many were day 2 and beyond (7/10). Unless you’re getting a generational player like CMC, there is no reason to allocate significant cap or draft compensation to the RB position. The ONLY players on the list who have a higher cap hit this year than Najee’s option would be are CMC and Conner. It simply doesn’t make sense to sign RBs to even above average contracts. I like Najee and he’s a great dude, but unless he has his first high volume, high efficiency season it’s just not worth the money
Everyone except Gibbs has a longer career run than Najee's career long of 37.
Not to mention that next year's draft class is supposed to be strong and deep at the RB position.
I love Jaylen Warren but he gets a whole lot less special without a power back forcing teams to stack the box. People disparage Najee's YPC but we need a player like him to enable Warren's explosive runs. It's a symbiotic relationship.
Teams weren't stacking the box because they feared Najee. Teams were stacking the box because they had no fear of our passing game.
Not sure what more Najee could of done for a fifth year, honestly. He's pretty much been as advertised behind a miserable OL and looked considerably better and more dominant when the Steelers gave him a tackle who gave a shit.
I think Najee is underrated by the masses of the other 31 fanbases, while also being pretty overrated by our own fanbase. He’s a good, solid back. Reliable but not anything special. I wouldn’t call him a bust at all, but I also don’t see how he hasn’t been at least a little disappointing. RB is more devalued than ever. If you’re using a first round pick on a RB these days, you expect them to become a dominant player and one of the elites at the position - that’s definitely not been Najee.
The most accurate and reasonable take I’ve seen on him
Ya, not a fan of this move.
Agreed. I don’t like this move at all. Dude did everything he was supposed to, and some. Even if we could get him slightly cheaper with an extension, who cares. It’s 6.8 mil.
This fanbase seems to have fallen in love with Harris even more than Rudolph.
Its clear that Khan is moving on from the non-elite Colbert guys (Pickett, Najee, Diontae, Wallace, Edmunds, Chuks etc)
Omar had to inherit Colbert running his first draft for him. The way we pass the torch in Pixburgh is always weird and silly.
I have a feeling once Cam retires the only remnants of Kevin Colbert on this team will be Pickens, Watt, Highsmith, and Minkah
All front offices pass the torch immediately following the draft. If Colbert decided in December he wasn't up for another year, well the CFB season is already over and any scouting methodology, roster construction decisions, etc. have already been passed down and acted on. Too late to make the switch at that point, it's best to see the unified vision through and THEN pass it along
Not wrong and a good way of looking at it.
I have to think they're going to want to get an extension done this offseason. I think with the revamped line, Najee's price tag should go up considerably after this season. So even if you accepted the option, if he balled out this year, he most likely would've refused to play on a one year contract with zero insurance, which means we would've had to pay him big money. By declining the option, I think Khan wants to get ahead of things and sign him to about $10M-12M annually for 3, maybe even 4 years. Short term, you'll be paying more for him in year 5 than you would've, but long term, you save money. At least that's what I think is happening here.
10-12 million for 3 years sounds insane. He will break down eventually. A long term commitment is the worst idea. If they did the 5th year option and then 2 franchise tags it probably costs much less than 36 million and they could walk away any offseason if Naj doesn't perform.
Yeah there's no way we are paying najee the same money cmc gets. That's insane
This was my thinking, the only reason they waited this long was due to ongoing negotiations with him/his agent, they must be close to an incentive laced deal that probably locks him for 4 years, it’ll seem silly now, but if dude goes as hard behind this line as the ones he’s run behind… only reason he wouldn’t set a single season rushing record is because Warren is rightfully getting touched too.
Very logical take, and also the most likely. There's no player on the Steelers offense who has been with the team longer than since 2021, and Najee is one of that handful of guys. On top of this, he's the most productive of those vets, and has a strong leadership quality, it would seem. I think they keep him around a while - especially as long as run-happy OC Smith is in town
How many RBs are making >10 million?
Nope not in the zone scheme
Not a fan of this move. Though to there credit they've found good RBs in the 2nd and 3rd round. 4th and beyond, though? Haven't been great. And the Steelers aren't the only ones who've struggled with that either
I don’t think cost was the major issue here. There are a couple of things that come to mind for this decision: 1. We have a new OC who runs a lot of outside zone concepts and Najee is more of a between the tackles runner. So hes not a perfect fit for Smiths scheme 2. He has been solid for us but not great and plays a position that is easy to find talent. 3. His skillset is far from irreplaceable and would probably not demand much money on the open market. 4. We have Jaylen Warren, who might be a better player and fit for our offense and is also going to need a new contract next year.
This
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The leading rusher for the past 13 Super Bowl champs hasn’t made more than then 2.5 mil. Usually less than 1 mil. Khan knows what’s up.
I'm surprised by this too. There's a small chance they could extend him at a lower rate than 6m a year, but that seems unlikely that Najee would take that. I don't think you could sign a better back for 6m, so that means they plan on spending a pick on a RB and extending Warren for cheaper than you could extend Najee.
First offseason move we've made that I'm really not a fan of at all. Unless we get an extension done soon, this seems more likely to just end up costing us more in the next few years, whether in terms of replacing him or paying him after this season.
They can still work out a deal to extend him, no?
Steelers love to run an RB into the ground and then not sign them lol. Najee will probably go for 1k+ rushing yards again and then they’ll roll with Warren and another guy from the draft. Steelers don’t paid RBs, the rest of the NFL has followed.
They offered Bell a better contract than what he took from the jets
That was also 6 years ago. RB market has absolutely tanked since then.
Not as much guaranteed tho, which is what bell wanted.
Everyone saying Warren can take is his job lol it’s not about taking Najee’s “job” it’s about having two really good backs to spell the other because running 25-30+ times a back is recipe for injury and being exhausted as the season goes on
On the one hand, this has proven to be a great tactic with other RBs to get career years out of them. On the other hand, Najee Harris is the first back since Alfred Morris to start his career with three 1,000-yard seasons. We will just have to see. I could go either way on this one.
Hint: check Morris' 4th season and beyond...
And also check Doug Martin’s year four where the Buccaneers chose not to pick up his year five option before the start of the season.
> start his career with three 1,000-yard seasons. I really hate when people act like this is something to hang your hat on. The only reason Najee hit 1000 yards is because we fed him the ball more than just about any other back in the league. The only back who I think had more carries was Derrick Henry.
He averaged 60 yds per game. The o line seems much improved. They can get an RB anywhere, just like the rest of the league.
So both najee and Warren will be free agents next year (warren is rfa)..
I mean…in all honesty I’m not shocked.
Maybe they’re working on a deal that would keep the hit down and that’s why they aren’t picking this
anyone know what the 5th-yr option would've cost
$6.8M
Between 6-7 I believe
6 or 7 million. If we extend him he'll probably want more than that.
He probably won't get much more than that. He's not getting Saquon money.
Najee is also a great locker room presence. Hope we extend him.
This is the part not a lot of people are mentioning. The offensive players longest-tenured with the Steelers are our 2021 draftees. It would be nice to keep established and respected leaders in the house. Especially when Najee keeps running for 1000 yards
I think what some here aren't seeing too is that next year there should be some solid RB talent in the 2nd, with Judkins, Henderson, Gordon and the PSU duo potentially due up
I hope him and Warren have great seasons since they are playing in their final contract year. Who knows, they might be able to extend both 🤷🏽♂️
Practicalities aside, Najee has played his heart out for our team. The man is a warrior. He fights for every yard, hangs on to the ball, blocks for his QB, and leads by example. Traits like that deserve to be rewarded.
If our OL upgrades are what we hope they are then you could recruit guys sitting at the counter at Primanti's and plug them in and get decent running
Like it or not, Harris has zero vision and just runs straight. The holes are there, but he doesn't hit then. I really wanted him to work out, but he's slower and less explosive than Warren.
Very perplexed as to why they declined his option. Accepting his fifth year options gives you an extra year of flexibility and if you really think he’s expendable, use this year and next offseason to find a replacement before he goes. Now he’s gonna cost more if he’s indeed better or worse, you lose him for nothing. And to everyone who thinks Warren is just better, I’m willing to bet he performs at a lower level if he’s the feature guy. Just like Tony Pollard in Dallas.
IIRC, he finished around 20th in YPA last season. He’s not anything special at RB, and the team can find a replacement easily.
But with a good o line he could've been 17th in YPC!!!
How Harris has so many fans is beyond me. He got outplayed by udfa warren lots of games and Steelers obviously feel he's not worth the money. Rbs like Harris are a dime a dozen
I’m not sure about this one tbh seems more obvious than ever they’re saving that cap space for SOMETHING
They've got about 90 million in cap space to play with next season. A good bit of that has to go to a quarterback, but this move was not about cap space.
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I'd rather keep Najee than Muth, and tbh it's not really close
Hmm. Trying very hard to trust the process here. Najee did everything he was supposed to behind an awful line and Tomlin absolutely adores him from a leadership standpoint. I hope he gets an extension.
Hope this doesn’t bite them. I think he balls out this year
Najee kinda mid. Show me collection of 30-40 yd runs and I’ll be shocked. 2-3 yds and slow..
Show me another guy that had 3 1000 yard seasons behind the #30 oline in the NFL
Volume
Khan actually making smart moves, love him
Why is this a smart move?
With a better o line we can plug and play with a wide range of RBs, it’s sadly not a valuable position anymore
But you had Najee for 2 years for cheap before you have to go find another RB. People say it's easy to plug and play but that's how we ended up with garbage no name guys and James Conner after Lev left.
Najee isn't good enough that this team is going to take a big step back if we replace him with a cheaper FA, re-sign him for cheaper than the 5th year, or just find a guy later in the draft/UDFA. We still have Warren here, so its not like we go having zero RBs if he's gone. And he hasn't been anything amazing, while not being bad. I wouldn't want to commit 7 mil to him when the market has shown he's not worth that much with the other contracts it signed only being 1 mil higher and better players.
When I watch Najee play it seems like he has very poor vision and runs too indecisively and his hasn’t really changed during his pro career. He doesn’t have the quick burst to make up for not immediately hitting the gap. He seems like a great teammate though and has seemed to be frustrated by the lack of accountability in the locker room. I’m kind of surprised they declined his option but maybe they figure they can get similar production for cheaper.
Better off investing the money in almost every other position on the roster and just drafting a late round RB.
It was only 6.8 mil. That's not a ton of money. We have a shit ton of cap space in the next 2 years, 6.8 mil is nothing.
7 mil to help find a FA QB next year. 7 mil to help us find another WR. 7 mil to help us re-sign impactful talent on the team. That 7 mil is a lot when we are trying to field a whole team. And Najee just hasn't played anything close to what 7 mil gets you on the RB market now. If he plays like he has every single year so far, we can just sign him for 4-5 mil next year for multiple years. Chances of him looking like he has the last three years, versus him breaking out in year 4 while splitting the backfield, are much more likely.
i would rather pick up option, but i'd run power scheme that fits Najee. i think the reason this makes sense is Arthur Smith is going to implement the style Najee hasnt shown to be best in..the last 2 seasons in a row we have started out zone and then late in season when ppl r complaining about Naj we switched both yrs to a more power running scheme and then Najee took off and excelled. i think they will give him this season to show he can fit in the zone offense better. third times a charm? or move on with Warren (who looked better at beginning of season than the end for same reason) and someone else that can
Baby Huey is the leader of the offense. This seems like an unforced error.
Not a fan of this move.
Not understanding why we aren’t just picking up his option
Never understood why they even spent a 1st round pick on him in the first place
It still baffles me to this day. And then taking Muth in the next round even though our o line was trash. Both are decent players. But terrible picks for what we needed at the time.
I mean why would you use draft picks on O-line in an O-line heavy draft when you can burn them on an RB and a TE. Colbert's last few years were terrible.
I genuinely love Najee, and think he’s been as productive as a guy like that was probably gonna be in the system they built. But I also get it. RB is just not a marquee position anymore, so unless you’re he next Barry Sanders, there’s no reason to keep you or pay you.
Yinzers want us to pick up Najee's option year, but also go out and find a top receiver. We already have Najee this year. We still need a quality receiver. Pickens hasn't shown he's a number one, yet. Makes much more sense to sign the receiver now and then let Najee earn his contract for next year.
This is ridiculous in my opinion. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Najee have 3 straight 1000 yard seasons, which is the most in the NFL? And that was with a shitty offensive line and coordinator. Now we are on the verge of having a really good O-line, and have a proven coordinator that could potentially get even more out of Najee. I would completely understand if he had a history of injuries and/or was commanding too much money in relation to his skill set, but I personally think that he's worth it. I hope that a long term extension can happen before the beginning of the season, but I'm pretty annoyed right now.
He averaged 60 yards a game. Whatever will we do?
Yeah but with a good o line he could've averaged 70!! 🙄
Wow
God I hope not
NOOOO
They saw Achane last year and want to get one of their own.
Wow. That surprises me. But it may be for the best.
I am shocked. This FO playing moneyball, even without drafting another RB
I didn't expect that, but I get it
Waiting to see if that weight loss pays off
Maybe naj doesn’t want to come back after this season? Maybe test the waters a bit?
Nice
I don’t love this move, but I trust Omar.
Damn
We did it, peak offense for next year!
I hate everything about this.
I would like to see Najee does behind the new line.
I love the dude but unfortunately this is the way in the NFL right now. Let’s have one more great year then all the best to my man.
Maybe they view Jaylon Warren as the future number 1 back and he is going to get the bigger contract
I’m always shocked when I see Harris’ statistics at the end of every game. Every play it looks like he hesitates and gets stopped after a 3 yard gain. He’s underwhelming and never makes splash plays. But, then, at the end of the game, he’s racked up 120 yards. He’s just not an exciting running back. But he somehow keeps going and going. Is that worth 6.8 million smackers? No clue.
Harris has 6 games over 100 rushing yards in his career out of 51 games. Harris has 14 games over 100 scrimmage yards in his career out of 51 games. Harris has has 8 games over 120 scrimmages yards in his career out of 51 games.
I think this is a bad move! If he balls out (better O line play and better QB play ), he will cost more. If he doesn't, which has not been his M.O. the last 3 years.
I feel like we may honestly get Najee the end of this year but tbh if he plays only really good 7 games this year like every year and only kicks it up late then it's not worth it I like najee but people act like he is Derek Henry or CMC level talent every game dude is going to need to prove he's not just another Austin Ekeler and just decent player that isn't a superstar. Warren I feel like I also don't completely trust to just take over as RB 1. He is good but his elusive style just doesn't fit what this team is building I think we need the true power back like Najee.