Steelers' Najee Harris Could Absolutely Find Himself Back In Pittsburgh For 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the market for a running back this offseason. While insiders say they expect them to work out a deal with Jaylen Warren, who is a restricted free agent, they also believe they will let Najee Harris go in free agency. Harris was the team's first pick in 2022, and during his time in the Steel City, he has been a polarizing figure. His performance results are mixed, which led to the Steelers not offering him a fifth-year extension on his rookie contract in 2024. That extension would have cost less than $7 million, which confused many fans who felt like Harris, with four 1,000-yard plus seasons, was worth at least that.  

Fans had various reasons for disliking the Harris pick. That included the generalized belief that running backs aren't first-round material and the thought that the team had other areas they needed to address more. That is not surprising, given that running backs have been devalued across the league. Regardless, Harris has had mixed support for the past four seasons. 

When the team announced they weren't offering him an extension, most insiders said they didn't see the team bringing Harris back, but there has been some waffling. Recently, Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show joined The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan, where he was asked what the chance is that Harris will be in black and gold in 2025. 

"Eh, we're probably into the ten percent, ten percenters," said Kaboly about the former first-round pick. "I think the thing that helps him in that regard is the deep draft. Teams might not be willing to pay the seven, eight, nine million bucks for him. Or the $27 million over three years to be able to acquire a guy that's obviously, not dynamic, that's being fair, but a guy who's a workhorse. They might not be willing to do that. If he goes out there and sniffs around, and it's just really bad, he's like, 'I could just go back to Pittsburgh for one for four.' It could be that."

The Steelers claimed they were reserving judgment on Harris' future after they saw how he fit into Arthur Smith's offense. If they bring him back, show co-host Adam Crowley said they will look like hypocrites. It is hard to say that Harris fit well despite having 1,043 yards and six touchdowns. While his stats are solid, he isn't bringing the level of performance consistent enough with the smashmouth football the Steelers want to play. 

Harris faced a lot of adversity in Pittsburgh, including six different starting quarterbacks, multiple offensive coordinators, and a lot of bad offensive line play. It is no surprise that Harris had his best season, 1,200 yards, when Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback calling most of the shots. Kaboly said it isn't anything against Harris; he just isn't what they need right now, which is someone explosive who can eat up the field. 

The Steelers Should Love This Draft

The running back room this year is one of the deepest in recent memory. The depth of a draft class and its relative strength often begin being projected years in advance, but that is always subject to change. The 2025 draft has been called weak, but since the end of the season, it has been gaining more and more appreciation. ESPN recently said an NFL scout called it a "meat and potatoes" draft thanks to the concentration of running backs, defensive linemen, and other workhorse-type positions. This works in Pittsburgh's favor because other than maybe phenom Travis Hunter, there isn't quite the usual drop-off in talent once you get later in the first round. 

This should also play to Andy Weidl's strengths, as he helped the Philadelphia Eagles build a two-time Super Bowl-winning team from the trenches up. He already began that work with the selections in the last two drafts and will continue this year.  

Do you think that Harris will stay in Pittsburgh? Tell us what you think below. 

#SteelerNation