The Steelers declined RB Najee Harris’ option last year in a slightly surprising decision, as the option would have kept him under contract in 2025 for a little over $6 million. Since then, it’s been a great year for running backs and the position has seen a revival. Harris is poised to benefit, with reports saying he could sign a deal somewhere between $8-$10 million a year.
Harris is a tough player to pin down. His career yards per carry is unimpressive and has led to a pedestrian reputation with a lot of fans. He’s probably a little underrated — four straight 1,000-yard seasons don’t happen by accident — but there’s still a reason Pittsburgh was comfortable declining the option. The former first-rounder is not an explosive back.
What he is is a physical, well-rounded runner who can contribute both on the ground and as a receiver. Think someone like Cardinals RB James Conner, coincidentally also a former Steelers back. Teams looking to establish an imposing edge to their offense with a physical run game will have particular interest in Harris.
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, and set him up to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
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).
We have him included in our Top 100 2025 NFL Free Agents list.
Las Vegas Raiders
The strongest smoke around where Harris will end up next week has been around Las Vegas. New Raiders HC Pete Carroll is well-known for his love of running the football, and the Raiders were abominable in that department last year. A lot of the blame lies with the running back group of Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, as career practice squadder Sincere McCormick came off the bench to look like the team’s best back late in the year.
Mattison is on an expiring contract and White might not make it to Week 1. Harris would be a replacement for the Raiders capable of shouldering the load as a bellcow back. It’s not hard to see Carroll seeing shades of what Marshawn Lynch brought to Seattle with what Harris brings to the table. Las Vegas has a big offensive line, too, with three starters over 320 pounds at the moment. Harris would add even more size and power behind that front.
Chicago Bears
The Bears aren’t hiding their plans for the 2025 season with new HC Ben Johnson coming on board. Chicago traded for two new starting guards, signaling that Johnson is going to build the offense around the run game just like he did with the Lions. Detroit had the benefit of a one-two punch at running back, a physical tone setter in David Montgomery and a speedy slash back in Jahmyr Gibbs.
Bears RB D’Andre Swift is the slash back but the Bears could use a more effective power back to upgrade from Roschon Johnson. Harris could be that guy. He’s a load to bring down but he’s also a well-rounded player who Johnson doesn’t have to take off the field on third down, just like Montgomery.
Cleveland Browns
Division rivals are always worth keeping tabs on when free agents change teams because they have more familiarity with the players they’ve had to match up against and scout at least two times a year. The Browns have lots of needs and not a lot of spending money, but last year showed running backs can be a positive free agency investment. At this point, the Browns need dollars well spent more than dollars allocated to premium positions.
Cleveland has Jerome Ford and not much else in the backfield. The Browns seem like they want to get back to HC Kevin Stefanski’s roots on offense and shift back to being a physical, ground-and-pound team. Harris would help Cleveland get back to being able to pound the rock effectively.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos played nearly half a dozen different running backs last year but never found one HC Sean Payton was completely confident in. With starting RB Javonte Williams slated for free agency and a fresh start, new faces are needed. Harris fits the mold of versatile lead backs that Payton has had in the past who are big enough to be effective on early downs but versatile enough to not telegraph the play.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were strong on offense in 2024 but the running game faded over the course of the season, as they leaned on a 29-year-old Aaron Jones for a career high in touches. Harris is versatile enough to be effective in Minnesota’s predominantly zone-blocking scheme and the Vikings have a huge budget in free agency, enough to go for a splash at running back. Conversely, they only have a handful of draft picks, limiting their ability to take advantage of a deep draft class.
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