Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers figured to make a lot of sense at the time. But four years later, it seems they’re heading for a split.
As Pro Football Talk noted on Tuesday, the window for the Steelers and Harris to make a deal has shrunk. It does not appear likely, at this time, that the team will hang on to the former Alabama Crimson Tide star.
Thus, Harris may be on the move and you might see him in a different uniform next year.
“Whether the Steelers will re-sign him remains to be seen. Their exclusive negotiating window is shrinking by the hour,” Mike Florio said.
Najee Harris was yet another star running back at Alabama under legendary head coach Nick Saban. Harris followed a line of running backs that included future pros Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and many more. Harris has been productive every year he’s been with the Steelers. The former Crimson Tide standout has rushed for over 1,000 yards in all four seasons of his professional career. He has 4,312 rushing yards after four NFL seasons.
Still, he’s left something to be desired in his efforts, even if they’ve born fruit. He only has a career YPC of 3.9, for example. The Steelers have used him and Jaylen Warren, so Harris’ touchdown numbers are down from what a productive runner like him could, or should in some cases, have to offer. So in some ways, Pittsburgh and Harris moving on from each other isn’t so surprising. It might just be a situation that hasn’t worked out.
The running back market has gotten a bit better, so we’ll see where Harris winds up landing. There may be several suitors out there willing to take a chance on a player who, one way or another, has found a way to produce at the NFL level. At the end of the day, that’s what you want out of your pursuits.
We’ll see what’s next for both Harris and the Steelers.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022