‘Strong Possibility’ Steelers Re-Sign RB Najee Harris

Steelers RB Najee Harris is set to enter the open market as an unrestricted free agent now that his contract has expired. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, there is a “strong possibility” that Pittsburgh will re-sign Harris this offseason. 

Dulac writes Harris would be expected to sign a two- or three-year deal that would average between $7 million and $10 million per year. 

When asked about the free agent running back, owner Art Rooney II said they would evaluate whether they could re-sign him and was confident Harris would have other options. 

“Look, Najee is a good player, and we’ll evaluate whether we can bring him back,” Rooney 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.”

Dulac points out that HC Mike Tomlin still likes Harris’ powerful running style. Tomlin mentioned how he’s produced four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh. 

“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.”

Harris, 27, was a two-year starter at Alabama and was a first-team All-American and a Doak Walker Award winner as a senior. The Steelers took Harris with pick No. 24 in the 2021 draft.

Harris signed a four-year, $13,047,447 with the Steelers that includes a $6,849,053 signing bonus. The Steelers declined his fifth-year option for 2025, which would’ve cost them $6.79 million fully guaranteed.  

In 2024, Harris appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers and recorded 263 rushing attempts for 1,043 yards (4.0 YPC) and six touchdowns, to go along with 36 receptions for 283 yards (7.9 YPC).