Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac took the Twitter (X) world by surprise today. His article in today’s Post-Gazette suggests that the Steelers may still want to bring Najee Harris back on a new contract. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2025/02/07/najee-harris-jaylen-warren-dulac-free-agent-contract/stories/202502060076
This would be a strange turn of events considering the team could have had Harris locked in for next season if they had picked up his fifth year option. That option would have been relatively cheap at $6.7 million for 2025. Signing him now would cost the team considerably more on a long term deal. For comparison, names like James Conner and Joe Mixon are making above $9 million per season. Harris being younger, and arguably better would want to exceed those two in annual average salary.
Allocating around $1o million per season for a running back would be a steep price for a team with so many other holes to fill. The Steelers have major needs at wide receiver, corner, defensive line, and most importantly quarterback. Filling those positions would seem logical before even considering a big contract at running back.
And then there’s the very real issue of over use. Mike Tomlin has worn the tires off Najee Harris in the four years he has been in Pittsburgh. It started his rookie season where Najee led the entire league in touches. That pace has slowed down with the emergence of Jaylen Warren, but not as much as you’d like. It is not unreasonable to think the Steelers got the best Najee Harris had to give in his career. Are the Steelers in danger of over using Najee Harris?
To be clear, Dulac doesn’t name sources, rather couches his article as an informed option. It seems pretty far fetched the Steelers would bring back Najee Harris at this point. Not to mention Harris would be foolish to sign a contract before he got to free agency. This seems more like a click-grab to us rather than anything that was based on facts. Najee Harris has almost certainly played his last game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would be a major shock to see him back in 2025.