Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris will hit the open market this offseason, setting up what will likely be a nice payday.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris will have the chance to test his value on the open market this offseason with his rookie deal expiring. What does a potential second contract look like for the former first-round pick?
According to Spotrac , Harris is projected to receive a three-year, $27.5 million deal on the open market. That would put the 26-year-old's per year average at about $9.2 million, which would be the eighth highest in the NFL , behind Cardinals' James Conner ($9.5M per year) and in front of Lions' David Montgomery ($9.125M per year).
The Steelers could still decide to bring back Harris for the 2025 season and beyond. President Art Rooney II recently left the door open to a potential return .
"Najee's a good player and we'll evaluate whether we can bring him back. He's going to have choices, too. It's a position that is important to us," Rooney said. "Whether it's Najee or somebody else, it's going to be an important position."
However, that still seems very unlikely after the team declined Harris' $6.79 million fifth-year option in May. Other teams know it, too, as some players have already begun recruiting Harris.
Harris has been a very reliable player through the first four years of his NFL career, which began as the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has rushed for at least 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in each of his first four seasons and has never missed a game.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris in a game against the New York Jets on Oct. 20, 2024 — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Harris' durability and availability alone should entice several teams to make their case for him to join them this offseason, but his production behind a sub-par offensive line will only add to that.
The only question is: Will those teams be willing to pay the top value of what could be upwards of $9+ million per year?
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