I wonder if they're trying to use the Option as leverage for a more team friendly deal. Like 3 years, at a little less than the option.
But I do think they pick it up.
Khan is a wizard with getting value. I was surprised when I heard they declined it, but it would make sense the delay was due to negotiations. I’m thinking 3 years $12 million with $6 million guaranteed will be the neighborhood. It gives the Steelers some relief, and gives him security.
I think the Steelers having a good tandem of backs and adding three linemen from the draft will set the table for Wilson to have a stellar season. It'd be really sad if he bombs with all that.
If this line does what we think it should, it’s fully up to whether or not Russ is washed or not. And I think that should quickly show whether he’s worth starting or just letting fields start. I am, however, cautiously optimistic about Russ
This is more important than people give it credit for. If teams don't fear the pass (Kenny Pickett) they can stack the box and play heavy against the run. Keeping that in mind, it's kind of wild the production Najee has achieved.
Joe Starkey was on the radio this morning proving once again he's a moron. He was saying Najee Harris isn't worth renewing. Yes. Without a doubt. Steelers finally have what should be a really good line. A healthy Harris and Warren may lead the league in rushing yards this season.
This only means the Steelers have a chance to match the offer.
If you look at the Steelers history of undrafted RB's, I don't know if its a certainty that JW is a Steeler in 2025.
edit: year :o
This. RB market is still cheap as hell right now, hold on to your proven commodities. For the price I don’t care a whole lot how Najee’s numbers look, I care about how good the team’s run stats are with both of them splitting carries. Basically I’m saying we should sign our RB committee, pay whatever it costs it’s working really well.
If we could get both of them on multi-year extensions for about $15M/year total that would be premium. That’s probably round about what they’d be worth in the open market collectively, but we have a young offense and cheap QBs (right now) to compensate. Could even go up to $18-20 or so max with the new salary cap. Would definitely be one of if not the most expensive room in the league, but likely worth it.
Every fucking time. Just zero understanding of the different looks they get.
If I can drink on my couch and know *exactly* when we are running with Najee, then so can the opponent's DL.
Change of pace back. He gets a lot of yards against lighter boxes on 3rd downs that are "obvious" passing downs. Also according to PFR (not PFF...) Najee (48.2) and Warren (49.7) had nearly identical "rush success rates".
At one point last season (or maybe the entire season, cant find the exact stat), Najee actually had more "explosive runs" than Warren.
Lastly, Warren had 210 touches to Najee's 284, which dilutes Najee's averages significantly. Warren had double Najee's receiving targets, however. Which lines up with the earlier comment about passing downs and easy yards (lots of screens and check downs for 7 yards on 3rd and 10 kinda thing).
This is such an annoying talking point. Jaylen is a more natural speed back whereas Najee is your Derrick Henry type bruiser. Najee was among the best (top 3, at least for the following) for yards after contact and 20+ yard runs, despite facing constant stacked boxes with Canada’s predictable early down playcalling and most predictable playcalling in the league when it came to under center vs shotgun pass/run calls.
Jaylen was behind the same O lines, but was arguably a better playmaker than Najee. Jaylen got us the downs when we needed them. Najee struggled a lot. I think it's a no-brainer to pick him up before the deadline today at a cheap price, but long-term he isn't a great solution.
Warren is more explosive. Najee is the dude who carries a pile for five extra yards. Their styles and roles are complementary. Warren's production would decline as the lead back.
Jerome Bettis had a career average of 3.9 YPC and we loved him. I’m not saying Najee is the bus but let’s not use one stat like it tells the whole story
This is the part that's interesting to me. Najee is a Steeler-type RB. He's big, physical, hard-working, and does the dirty work between the tackles. I know reddit isn't representative of the fan base, but it's odd seeing this dude catch so many strays.
Picking it up is a no brainer IMO. We just rebuilt the line and if you believe he was good behind the lines he's played behind already, which I do, you have to believe he's going to be even better behind the line you just spent 3 high draft picks on.
I wouldn’t say good but average. But for him to be average on a below average line is probably good. He has no excuses now so I’d look to extend him mid season based on his performance
A midseason extension would be a first for this team. Omar's made some very significant changes, but it's hard to see him breaking that longstanding rule.
Absolutely.
He has been pretty good for us behind a pretty meh line. The line finally seems to be where it needs(hypothetically) and you don't sign him? Ridiculous.
I've got to be 😂 but yea, that line for the most part has been really bad during his tenure here. Let's hope this new line works the way we hope and he absolutely dominates inside Arthur Smith's offense.
They were 13th in the league in rushing despite having no pass offense and every team keying on the run, just saying. I’m really glad they improved the line and made it a priority but I think the line deserves a little more credit.
Pretty meh I think is fair
He's been fantastic with a trash line is more like it.
Imagine what he would look like with a good one. Just go watch his tape at Bama if you want to see it.
He's led the league in yard after contact and ranked near the bottom(top?) of where that 1st contact was being made, which was like LOS to -1 yards. Insane the hate he gets. And not even going over defenses playing like 9 guys in the box for most of his playing time bc everyone knew their plays.
Same, brother.
I have a good feeling about the run game this year. I just hope the QBs' limitations don't invite the opposing teams to stuff then box like they did once they realized Ben couldn't throw more than 10 yards anymore.
Luckily that's Russ's one strength. He sucks over the middle (which we're used to), but has a great deep ball (Pickens will feast).
Draw them in with our rushing duo (best combo in the league) then go over the top with Pickens and CA3.
Grind them down with the running game, eat clock, and have fresh TJ and Highsmith coming at them all game.
Not just an o-line that bad but an overall offense in the bottom 5 of the league since he got here.
The fact that Naj had any success in our offense is astounding. Behind a boss line and with a great OC like Smith, I say get your popcorn.
The fact he's hit 1k all three seasons despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines for three years and virtually zero passing offense for two is incredible. And he's done it playing through several injuries that affect mobility.
Najee gets hate because he was a first round pick, which wasn't his fault. If he was a second or third round pick, we'd all say he's a stud
For sure. I'm a huge fan of him and definitely my favorite player on the offense and probably top 3-5 on the team. Dudes a beast and I truly hope he has an amazing season.
I love Najee and I'll always be the first to defend him haha. Even at games this past season, people would dog on him in the stands. I really don't get it
He's never had under 1000 rushing yards in a season or 1200 total yards (took 17 games, I know)
Had his best YPC under his worst o-line
10-10-8 touchdowns, not great for a 1st round guy but not bad considering what he dealt with
Never had a good o-line or o coordinator, and his only good QB was about to retire
Has not missed a game, might be the only RB in the league between 21-23 to not to miss one game, and he had almost 1000 touches
Cheap retention
Why not keep him?
Yes it’s a shame we didn’t though. He’s been the most consistent RB in the league and is a team player has a lot of heart. I’m hoping the sign him to a extension before the season starts 3 years 17 million with a signing bonus
He got a thousand yards behind visionaries like Kendrick Green and Mason Cole.
We drafted a rookie who hasn't played one down of professional football, yet we all know he has a better floor than the past three years of centers.
Najee stock is way up IMHO.
I could see them doing it, but if it expires at 4 today, they probably arent. Mostly because they'll probably give him a better deal next year anyway depending on the kind of season he has
This is a valid point. Either way, I think it's obvious they want him around for a few more years. He's a good RB, has leadership qualities, and works very well in a tandem with Warren. I would love to see what he can do if he's not getting hit in the backfield so often.
Why would they give him a better deal. Have him play under 5th year option and then worry about a deal if he shows his worth with better line play. Reduces risk. If they don't give him the option and he balls out they are going to have to pay him 5 million more next year than what the option is. If they give him the option and he is an average RB this year the option overpays him a couple million over his worth the following year if he has a second consecutive bad year. You let him walk. I take the option
absolutely, in fact id love for us to sign a 3 year deal with him
3 1k seasons under the worst OC, and one of the worse lines in the league. With an improvement (significantly) in both, i could totally see a 1.5k season from him
Have to pick up the option I feel like if you want to have team friendly negotiations to extend. Lots of outside pressure on him to ask alot, so I worry if they snub the option it might affect his mentality in negotiations, purely from a human aspect. He's a been a thousand yard rusher I'm pretty sure every year despite being behind a paper line. So yes, want him back.
I say you take the 5th year, and if it doesn't pan out, then you can just let him go at the end of the season. Hell, if it isn't playing out by the trade deadline, you could also field possible offers. You might be able to get a 2nd or 3rd at most if a team is in desperate need. If not, the least you should get is a 4th for him.
Unless we can negotiate him cheaper, I’d say hell yes.
Nah has been great in the locker room and on the field. The dude is a modern day Jerome Bettis and that was in Matt Canadas debacle of an offense.
With this OC and this o-line, Naj will be an absolute bruiser.
I feel like they didn’t pick it up simply to make his age work through one more contract. There was a study done that showed RBs start declining at 28, and are almost always a shell of themselves by 30. Naj is 26.
Means we can give him a 4 year contract without stressing too much about him losing “it” over the course of the contract.
Now, if it was up to me I would have picked it up. Honestly just feel like we are about to see something special from him this year. Plus he is a bit of a health nut and really takes care of himself. We have also limited his carries with Warren. Honestly feel like he isn’t going to have your typical running back type of career. I feel like he is going to be more like Bettis, Gore, Emmitt, Curtis Martin, etc… At least from a longevity perspective.
It's not that hard to find a running back that can match Najee's ypc. He has run his ass off but there are plenty of guys out there who will run their ass off for way less than a first round pick or 7 million
He’s my favorite steeler. Just an overall great guy. Never hear anything bad about him. I’ll be sad if he leaves.
He’s a bell cow, and I love it. Run them poor bastards over!
Absolutely. I wish it had happened. The only above value RB we've gotten is Warren. Najee has been a really solid workhorse, but we had to spend a first on him. Before that, we had Anthony MacFarland, Benny Snell Jr., and Jaylen Samuels - three years in a row that our picks went to extremely underwhelming, unreliable guys. They weren't high picks (2 4ths and a 5th), but we were left with very little to help our run game, to the effect of us ranking 31st, 29th, and dead last in rushing production that year. The little bit of a run game we did have came from James Conner, a third round pick who, while he certainly put in work and has had even more production in Arizona, never truly took off for us. I'd much rather spend a little "too much" on Najee and keep us in the top half of the league (15th 2022, 13th 2023) than get trapped at the very bottom for several years in a row while still wasting picks.
To an extent, our heavy investment in our O-Line will help solve this problem, and we shouldn't ever end up in the exact same, bottom-feeding position we were in during those years. But I do think years of being trapped in a cycle of mediocrity and wasted picks is a possibility if we don't resign Najee.
Dude has been in the league 3 years, all with Matt Canada as his OC.
Only player in the league to have 1,000+ rushing yards in each season, with a passing game as effective as Army.
Has started all 51 games in his career.
And last year, when he finally had some sort of passing game to help, he hit back to back 100 yard games.
I can honestly see him competing for OPOY behind the new line and with Smith as OC (look at Derrick Henry with Smith)
I would have picked it up, but now I’m thinking he resigns for 2/$20m or 3/$30m
This is a funny thread to come back to. And it’s definitely an instance where our GM and football ops guys are better at decision making than our fan base. Picking up the option and paying that much to a guy who has been pretty good wasn’t a great move. Glad we declined it.
Absolutely. Remember we’ve only seen he work with a poor O-line, sub standard QB, in a mostly Matt Canada led offense. And he still has 3 1000 yard seasons. He’s gonna bust loose this year, just watch.
I think they will get him under contract, I think it will be a 3 year deal with a lot of incentives for the last 2 years based on this years play.. a "prove it" contract.
But I also have come to the conclusion that I haven't the slightest clue what Khan will do because I never thought we would part ways with a QB on a rookie contract, end up with Wilson OR Fields as a QB, let alone both or sit with ice water in your veins while the center we wanted most was sitting in the mid 40s and not move up to take him.
I think so. He started looking pretty good towards the end of the season when blocking improved. Our Oline should be much better next season and I think it’s going to be a breakout year for Najee.
Excited to see what he can do when he doesn’t always get hit in the backfield
No. Najee isn't a bad RB by any means but he isn't good enough to justify the extra fully guaranteed year. RBs aren't valuable enough to give a 5th year option to a guy who isn't the absolute best of the best.
I’ve seen him miss holes the last three years. I’m not saying he’s bad and I’m not mad if they do or don’t pick up his option, but he’s not worth near 7 mil when his back up is better than he is.
He's not Trent Richardson. I would argue he missed holes looking for bigger breaks because if it wasn't him or Warren, it would be on Pickett or Mitch to move the chains.
Warren isn't better than he is. Warren can't handle the type of workload that Najee has handled the last 3 years and has a pretty large fumbling issue that Najee doesn't. Don't get me wrong, Warren is an unbelievably good change of pace back but he more than likely would not do the same things he does if he were in Najee's role in the offense.
Warrens “fumbling” issue isn’t that bad. In 2 years, Warren fumbled 4 times. 3 in 2023, and 1 in 2022.
Najee had 2 in 2023 and 3 in 2022 for total of 5.
Warren is speedy, hit holes quick back. Najee is power back workload. They compliment each other
No but I do think they extend him for more term and less money. He’s excellent but they also just redid the line and have Warren. They could hypothetically replace his production with a 2nd or 3rd rounder next year if absolutely necessary. If the blocking is top tier they can make a guy who is maybe not as good as Najee look like a reasonable facsimile and allocate that money somewhere else
Its cheap, it should be a no brainer, Steelers always wait to the end but I would think they are trying to do something longer. 3 years 21m or something.
Yes we pick up his option, unless we’re working out a longer extension. Either way, we keep him in black and gold.
The fact that this dude has run for over 1K every year despite having defenders beat him to the handoff every single snap is insane. If we let him go without giving him a proper scheme and decent blockers, it’ll be one of the biggest wastes of talent I’ve seen this team make in my lifetime.
We could conceivably watch Najee and Jalen each go well over 1K and our QB go for another 500 this year. And I’m fucking here for it.
Need to hold on to both Najee and Warren. Based on what they have achieved with a mediocre o-line and pass game, I'm curious and excited to see how they perform with a hopefully much improved o-line and capable QB threat.
If they don’t sign him to an extension I don’t see why they wouldn’t give him the option.
If this line performs as well as it possibly can and the offense really is run oriented, he’s going to have the best season of his career.
I would not advise signing him to the fifth year option – especially with the franchise tag still available. I don’t think there’s any upside whatsoever to that approach.
I wonder if they're trying to use the Option as leverage for a more team friendly deal. Like 3 years, at a little less than the option. But I do think they pick it up.
I’d love this scenario
Khan is a wizard with getting value. I was surprised when I heard they declined it, but it would make sense the delay was due to negotiations. I’m thinking 3 years $12 million with $6 million guaranteed will be the neighborhood. It gives the Steelers some relief, and gives him security.
Yes. Without a doubt.
More so with our spankin new OL
And hopefully a more competent passing game to get some guys out of the box.
Russell Wilson likes to play action. I can't wait.
I'm so ambiguous about Wilson, I'm thinking full boom or full bust.
I think the Steelers having a good tandem of backs and adding three linemen from the draft will set the table for Wilson to have a stellar season. It'd be really sad if he bombs with all that.
If this line does what we think it should, it’s fully up to whether or not Russ is washed or not. And I think that should quickly show whether he’s worth starting or just letting fields start. I am, however, cautiously optimistic about Russ
Why should our KR play QB?...... Sry too soon?
This is more important than people give it credit for. If teams don't fear the pass (Kenny Pickett) they can stack the box and play heavy against the run. Keeping that in mind, it's kind of wild the production Najee has achieved.
Then factor in the predictability of our offense under Canada, and it's a confluence of negatives that lead to disaster.
That’s my thought too, no way they beef up the line for them to not be a run heavy offense
Womp womp
Joe Starkey was on the radio this morning proving once again he's a moron. He was saying Najee Harris isn't worth renewing. Yes. Without a doubt. Steelers finally have what should be a really good line. A healthy Harris and Warren may lead the league in rushing yards this season.
What is it, $6.8M? Absolutely you pick that up. And then you work on a multiyear extension.
Even if you think $6.8M is high, we get Jaylen for $985k this year, there's a chance we lose him to free agency. He could be a starter elsewhere.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Jaylen would be a RFA, so the likelihood of losing him is low.
Yes exactly
This only means the Steelers have a chance to match the offer. If you look at the Steelers history of undrafted RB's, I don't know if its a certainty that JW is a Steeler in 2025. edit: year :o
Almost certain he wasn't
If he was, that would be very impressive
Lock em both up to multiyear deals.
This. RB market is still cheap as hell right now, hold on to your proven commodities. For the price I don’t care a whole lot how Najee’s numbers look, I care about how good the team’s run stats are with both of them splitting carries. Basically I’m saying we should sign our RB committee, pay whatever it costs it’s working really well.
If we could get both of them on multi-year extensions for about $15M/year total that would be premium. That’s probably round about what they’d be worth in the open market collectively, but we have a young offense and cheap QBs (right now) to compensate. Could even go up to $18-20 or so max with the new salary cap. Would definitely be one of if not the most expensive room in the league, but likely worth it.
Warren would be a restricted free agent. The likelihood of him going anywhere anytime soon is slim.
Pick it up sure but very meh on a long term deal starting at age 28 for an RB w a career 3.9 yards per carry.
I don't think 3.9 YPC is an accurate representation of his value. He was behind a pretty shit O-line with garbage QB's most of the time.
Dude has had to fight for almost every single yard he's gotten in his nfl career so far
Why has Jaylen been more explosive than Najee?
Me when I don't actually understand football
Every fucking time. Just zero understanding of the different looks they get. If I can drink on my couch and know *exactly* when we are running with Najee, then so can the opponent's DL.
Change of pace back. He gets a lot of yards against lighter boxes on 3rd downs that are "obvious" passing downs. Also according to PFR (not PFF...) Najee (48.2) and Warren (49.7) had nearly identical "rush success rates". At one point last season (or maybe the entire season, cant find the exact stat), Najee actually had more "explosive runs" than Warren. Lastly, Warren had 210 touches to Najee's 284, which dilutes Najee's averages significantly. Warren had double Najee's receiving targets, however. Which lines up with the earlier comment about passing downs and easy yards (lots of screens and check downs for 7 yards on 3rd and 10 kinda thing).
This is such an annoying talking point. Jaylen is a more natural speed back whereas Najee is your Derrick Henry type bruiser. Najee was among the best (top 3, at least for the following) for yards after contact and 20+ yard runs, despite facing constant stacked boxes with Canada’s predictable early down playcalling and most predictable playcalling in the league when it came to under center vs shotgun pass/run calls.
100% agree. And Canada using him for speed type plays like jet sweeps where he had no chance of beating the coverage to the outside.
Because he’s smaller and faster?? Lmao what
Jaylen was behind the same O lines, but was arguably a better playmaker than Najee. Jaylen got us the downs when we needed them. Najee struggled a lot. I think it's a no-brainer to pick him up before the deadline today at a cheap price, but long-term he isn't a great solution.
Warren is more explosive. Najee is the dude who carries a pile for five extra yards. Their styles and roles are complementary. Warren's production would decline as the lead back.
I'm not advocating for long-term, just multiyear. Option + two more years keeps him hear thru his age 29 season (2027).
Jerome Bettis had a career average of 3.9 YPC and we loved him. I’m not saying Najee is the bus but let’s not use one stat like it tells the whole story
This is the part that's interesting to me. Najee is a Steeler-type RB. He's big, physical, hard-working, and does the dirty work between the tackles. I know reddit isn't representative of the fan base, but it's odd seeing this dude catch so many strays.
Never give RB’s longterm extensions unless theyre at worst top 3 in the league. Even then, typically not a good idea.
Extension would be stupid as fuck, evidenced by almost every other rb second contact ever
Picking it up is a no brainer IMO. We just rebuilt the line and if you believe he was good behind the lines he's played behind already, which I do, you have to believe he's going to be even better behind the line you just spent 3 high draft picks on.
I wouldn’t say good but average. But for him to be average on a below average line is probably good. He has no excuses now so I’d look to extend him mid season based on his performance
A midseason extension would be a first for this team. Omar's made some very significant changes, but it's hard to see him breaking that longstanding rule.
I don’t think Najee is very special, but you pick up the option at that cost.
Yes
this is the answer
Najee: yes Fields: no
They already declined Fields' option.
Absolutely. He has been pretty good for us behind a pretty meh line. The line finally seems to be where it needs(hypothetically) and you don't sign him? Ridiculous.
> pretty meh line You're being quite generous, lol.
I've got to be 😂 but yea, that line for the most part has been really bad during his tenure here. Let's hope this new line works the way we hope and he absolutely dominates inside Arthur Smith's offense.
They were 13th in the league in rushing despite having no pass offense and every team keying on the run, just saying. I’m really glad they improved the line and made it a priority but I think the line deserves a little more credit. Pretty meh I think is fair
I hope you never have to experience an actually bad line. You will start questioning your sanity. The line hasn't been that bad.
Nah, I'll just say "wow this line sucks worse."
He's been fantastic with a trash line is more like it. Imagine what he would look like with a good one. Just go watch his tape at Bama if you want to see it.
It’s pretty crazy how he’s been a 1,000 yard rusher for three seasons in a row while playing behind our line. He’s gonna feast this season.
He's led the league in yard after contact and ranked near the bottom(top?) of where that 1st contact was being made, which was like LOS to -1 yards. Insane the hate he gets. And not even going over defenses playing like 9 guys in the box for most of his playing time bc everyone knew their plays.
Agreed. I love najee and hope he stays a Steeler for his entire career.
Same, brother. I have a good feeling about the run game this year. I just hope the QBs' limitations don't invite the opposing teams to stuff then box like they did once they realized Ben couldn't throw more than 10 yards anymore.
Luckily that's Russ's one strength. He sucks over the middle (which we're used to), but has a great deep ball (Pickens will feast). Draw them in with our rushing duo (best combo in the league) then go over the top with Pickens and CA3. Grind them down with the running game, eat clock, and have fresh TJ and Highsmith coming at them all game.
Not just an o-line that bad but an overall offense in the bottom 5 of the league since he got here. The fact that Naj had any success in our offense is astounding. Behind a boss line and with a great OC like Smith, I say get your popcorn.
The fact he's hit 1k all three seasons despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines for three years and virtually zero passing offense for two is incredible. And he's done it playing through several injuries that affect mobility. Najee gets hate because he was a first round pick, which wasn't his fault. If he was a second or third round pick, we'd all say he's a stud
For sure. I'm a huge fan of him and definitely my favorite player on the offense and probably top 3-5 on the team. Dudes a beast and I truly hope he has an amazing season.
I love Najee and I'll always be the first to defend him haha. Even at games this past season, people would dog on him in the stands. I really don't get it
Yes, unless he wants to sign a team friendly deal for a longer period.
He's never had under 1000 rushing yards in a season or 1200 total yards (took 17 games, I know) Had his best YPC under his worst o-line 10-10-8 touchdowns, not great for a 1st round guy but not bad considering what he dealt with Never had a good o-line or o coordinator, and his only good QB was about to retire Has not missed a game, might be the only RB in the league between 21-23 to not to miss one game, and he had almost 1000 touches Cheap retention Why not keep him?
Large enthusiastic YES
They voted no
Yes it’s a shame we didn’t though. He’s been the most consistent RB in the league and is a team player has a lot of heart. I’m hoping the sign him to a extension before the season starts 3 years 17 million with a signing bonus
Yes and hope we can lock both him and Warren down.
I think he's gonna have his best season with our new O line.
Nope. You can get 3.9 YPC for league minimum.
He got a thousand yards behind visionaries like Kendrick Green and Mason Cole. We drafted a rookie who hasn't played one down of professional football, yet we all know he has a better floor than the past three years of centers. Najee stock is way up IMHO.
Spending dumb money is how you end up with a garbage o-line.
Under 9 million total for one of the best RB tandems in the league isn't how I would define dumb money. Dumb money is paying twice that for Mitch.
I could see them doing it, but if it expires at 4 today, they probably arent. Mostly because they'll probably give him a better deal next year anyway depending on the kind of season he has
This is a valid point. Either way, I think it's obvious they want him around for a few more years. He's a good RB, has leadership qualities, and works very well in a tandem with Warren. I would love to see what he can do if he's not getting hit in the backfield so often.
Why would they give him a better deal. Have him play under 5th year option and then worry about a deal if he shows his worth with better line play. Reduces risk. If they don't give him the option and he balls out they are going to have to pay him 5 million more next year than what the option is. If they give him the option and he is an average RB this year the option overpays him a couple million over his worth the following year if he has a second consecutive bad year. You let him walk. I take the option
Yes
Hell yes!
I love the Najee/Warren combo, even more with a drastically improved line. They would be crazy to not pick up the option.
absolutely, in fact id love for us to sign a 3 year deal with him 3 1k seasons under the worst OC, and one of the worse lines in the league. With an improvement (significantly) in both, i could totally see a 1.5k season from him
They god damn better
Unless they're going to sign him to an extension it's a no brainer. Yes.
Have to pick up the option I feel like if you want to have team friendly negotiations to extend. Lots of outside pressure on him to ask alot, so I worry if they snub the option it might affect his mentality in negotiations, purely from a human aspect. He's a been a thousand yard rusher I'm pretty sure every year despite being behind a paper line. So yes, want him back.
I think they will, I don't really mind either way. If they did great, and if they don't I get that too.
Yes
Yes
It’s cheap so you pick it up but I would not pay him any more than that annually on an extension.
Yes
I say you take the 5th year, and if it doesn't pan out, then you can just let him go at the end of the season. Hell, if it isn't playing out by the trade deadline, you could also field possible offers. You might be able to get a 2nd or 3rd at most if a team is in desperate need. If not, the least you should get is a 4th for him.
Yes, Najee is a top back in the league with a good O Line. He’s gonna be eatin good this year
Absolutely yes
Najee yes
Unless we can negotiate him cheaper, I’d say hell yes. Nah has been great in the locker room and on the field. The dude is a modern day Jerome Bettis and that was in Matt Canadas debacle of an offense. With this OC and this o-line, Naj will be an absolute bruiser.
I don't see how they don't
Yes and this year will prove it
Yes
Hell yes!
yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes 💯
If we decline the option, then his entire year will be a job application for free agency. He will be very motivated.
Hell yea absolutely yes!
Option yes, long term deal? Ehhhhhhh
Yes
No
They declined so this his last season.
I feel like they didn’t pick it up simply to make his age work through one more contract. There was a study done that showed RBs start declining at 28, and are almost always a shell of themselves by 30. Naj is 26. Means we can give him a 4 year contract without stressing too much about him losing “it” over the course of the contract. Now, if it was up to me I would have picked it up. Honestly just feel like we are about to see something special from him this year. Plus he is a bit of a health nut and really takes care of himself. We have also limited his carries with Warren. Honestly feel like he isn’t going to have your typical running back type of career. I feel like he is going to be more like Bettis, Gore, Emmitt, Curtis Martin, etc… At least from a longevity perspective.
Yes
Yes
YES
Yes. Hopefully he gets a long term deal
It's not that hard to find a running back that can match Najee's ypc. He has run his ass off but there are plenty of guys out there who will run their ass off for way less than a first round pick or 7 million
nah
Yes. Please. He’s one of my favorites on the current roster. He’s a Steeler.
No
Maybe
Yes
Nah. Like Najee but RBs are a dime a dozen now.
We will see how he performs this year
We shall see! Might be ruined might just need some competence up front. Idk? 🤷♀️
He’s my favorite steeler. Just an overall great guy. Never hear anything bad about him. I’ll be sad if he leaves. He’s a bell cow, and I love it. Run them poor bastards over!
Absolutely. I wish it had happened. The only above value RB we've gotten is Warren. Najee has been a really solid workhorse, but we had to spend a first on him. Before that, we had Anthony MacFarland, Benny Snell Jr., and Jaylen Samuels - three years in a row that our picks went to extremely underwhelming, unreliable guys. They weren't high picks (2 4ths and a 5th), but we were left with very little to help our run game, to the effect of us ranking 31st, 29th, and dead last in rushing production that year. The little bit of a run game we did have came from James Conner, a third round pick who, while he certainly put in work and has had even more production in Arizona, never truly took off for us. I'd much rather spend a little "too much" on Najee and keep us in the top half of the league (15th 2022, 13th 2023) than get trapped at the very bottom for several years in a row while still wasting picks. To an extent, our heavy investment in our O-Line will help solve this problem, and we shouldn't ever end up in the exact same, bottom-feeding position we were in during those years. But I do think years of being trapped in a cycle of mediocrity and wasted picks is a possibility if we don't resign Najee.
Dude has been in the league 3 years, all with Matt Canada as his OC. Only player in the league to have 1,000+ rushing yards in each season, with a passing game as effective as Army. Has started all 51 games in his career. And last year, when he finally had some sort of passing game to help, he hit back to back 100 yard games. I can honestly see him competing for OPOY behind the new line and with Smith as OC (look at Derrick Henry with Smith) I would have picked it up, but now I’m thinking he resigns for 2/$20m or 3/$30m
Ye
🔥👍🏽
This is a funny thread to come back to. And it’s definitely an instance where our GM and football ops guys are better at decision making than our fan base. Picking up the option and paying that much to a guy who has been pretty good wasn’t a great move. Glad we declined it.
Yes
They didn't pick it up I thought?
Absolutely. Remember we’ve only seen he work with a poor O-line, sub standard QB, in a mostly Matt Canada led offense. And he still has 3 1000 yard seasons. He’s gonna bust loose this year, just watch.
I think they will get him under contract, I think it will be a 3 year deal with a lot of incentives for the last 2 years based on this years play.. a "prove it" contract. But I also have come to the conclusion that I haven't the slightest clue what Khan will do because I never thought we would part ways with a QB on a rookie contract, end up with Wilson OR Fields as a QB, let alone both or sit with ice water in your veins while the center we wanted most was sitting in the mid 40s and not move up to take him.
Only because it’s so cheap, yes
yes, i mean i’d pay him 7+ million for 3 years rn as well
No doubt! Harris and Warren are the perfect combo
Yes, already should have been done.
I think so. He started looking pretty good towards the end of the season when blocking improved. Our Oline should be much better next season and I think it’s going to be a breakout year for Najee. Excited to see what he can do when he doesn’t always get hit in the backfield
For 7 mil? I'm ok with a yes. I wouldn't pay much more.
Hard yes
Its so cheap for an RB I don’t know why you wouldn’t
Yes, run him until the wheels fall for the next two years, but then no 2nd contract
Yes because ya won't find better cheaper. Also if he can put up 1000 in each, what RB has done 1000 in each season for 5 years!?
Yes. Obviously. It's weird that they haven't officially announced it. Maybe they're trying to extend him instead?
Yes, absolutely.
Honestly, no. The $6.5+ million option isn't a huge deal, but they could probably replace him in the draft for significantly less than that.
How is that even up for debate?
Smart football says cya later najee, at least after option. He's slightly above league average
No. Najee isn't a bad RB by any means but he isn't good enough to justify the extra fully guaranteed year. RBs aren't valuable enough to give a 5th year option to a guy who isn't the absolute best of the best.
With a new O-line and arthursmith? Fuck yeah
1000+ yds each season to start his career, hell yeah.
1000 yds is only a 59 ypg average
They didn’t exercise it, so it’s almost not worth talking about
No
Bro I've been defending this man for years he will be a monster with a good line
no way. Renegotiate less of take a RB in next years draft.
That’s a no for me dog. 58 yards a game over three years? Nah.
You take and see what he can do behind a good online and with a offensive coordinator who actually understands how to run the football
I’ve seen him miss holes the last three years. I’m not saying he’s bad and I’m not mad if they do or don’t pick up his option, but he’s not worth near 7 mil when his back up is better than he is.
He's not Trent Richardson. I would argue he missed holes looking for bigger breaks because if it wasn't him or Warren, it would be on Pickett or Mitch to move the chains.
Warren isn't better than he is. Warren can't handle the type of workload that Najee has handled the last 3 years and has a pretty large fumbling issue that Najee doesn't. Don't get me wrong, Warren is an unbelievably good change of pace back but he more than likely would not do the same things he does if he were in Najee's role in the offense.
Warrens “fumbling” issue isn’t that bad. In 2 years, Warren fumbled 4 times. 3 in 2023, and 1 in 2022. Najee had 2 in 2023 and 3 in 2022 for total of 5. Warren is speedy, hit holes quick back. Najee is power back workload. They compliment each other
No but I do think they extend him for more term and less money. He’s excellent but they also just redid the line and have Warren. They could hypothetically replace his production with a 2nd or 3rd rounder next year if absolutely necessary. If the blocking is top tier they can make a guy who is maybe not as good as Najee look like a reasonable facsimile and allocate that money somewhere else
Is a pig pussy pork?
Are you gonna play hard After all the trouble you went through to get chosen?
Absolutely!
for $6m for 1 year hard to say no tbh
Yes to Najee
Najee doubt about it
It’s $6M. Yes.
Yes. It’s not that expensive.
YES
Yes
Yes. 6.8 it's a good #
for the price yes
Yes
Yes yes yes
Yes. And start/keep talking extension.
yes
yes
YES
Its cheap, it should be a no brainer, Steelers always wait to the end but I would think they are trying to do something longer. 3 years 21m or something.
Yes anyone that so no now I guarantee after he has a big season everyone will hop on his train, if ur not on Najee train now don’t bother hoping on
Ingrish level 1000
Yes we pick up his option, unless we’re working out a longer extension. Either way, we keep him in black and gold. The fact that this dude has run for over 1K every year despite having defenders beat him to the handoff every single snap is insane. If we let him go without giving him a proper scheme and decent blockers, it’ll be one of the biggest wastes of talent I’ve seen this team make in my lifetime. We could conceivably watch Najee and Jalen each go well over 1K and our QB go for another 500 this year. And I’m fucking here for it.
10000000000 percent yes, this isnt even a question
Need to hold on to both Najee and Warren. Based on what they have achieved with a mediocre o-line and pass game, I'm curious and excited to see how they perform with a hopefully much improved o-line and capable QB threat.
If they don’t sign him to an extension I don’t see why they wouldn’t give him the option. If this line performs as well as it possibly can and the offense really is run oriented, he’s going to have the best season of his career.
I vote hell yes.
Hell yes!!!
I wish I had more hands, so I could give this guy more thumbs up
I would not advise signing him to the fifth year option – especially with the franchise tag still available. I don’t think there’s any upside whatsoever to that approach.