Pittsburgh Steelers GM, Omar Khan, would love to sign running back, Najee Harris, to a contract extension. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering the team declined his fifth-year option.
“It was a business decision that we had to make by, I think, May 2nd,” Khan said of Harris’ declined option.
“But Najee’s awesome to have around here. (We) love Najee as a player and a person. And just because we didn’t pick it up, that doesn’t exclude us from doing something with Najee for the long term. I’d love to say Najee was here and had a long career in Pittsburgh. He really represents us well on the field and off the field. But it was one of those things we had to make a decision on. We just felt right now it was the right decision for everyone. But I love Najee, and I would love to have him here long term.”
Harris is coming off a relatively successful campaign which saw him log over 1,000 rushing yards for the third-straight year.
Pittsburgh Steelers Open to Contract Extension with Najee Harris
Najee Harris’ Impact
While Najee Harris is not a household name, he is still very effective for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout the three seasons he has played, the former Alabama product has recorded 3,269 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 64.1 rushing yards per game, and 144 career receptions. He has also logged 866 receiving yards to go along with six receiving touchdowns and a career catch percentage of 77.8 percent. One could argue that Harris is just now entering his prime. After all, he has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each season of his career thus far meaning the Steelers should continue to have a solid run game this coming year.
A Tough Road for the Steelers This Coming Season
Considering the division the Steelers play in, it is hard to project where they will finish this upcoming season. The AFC North is arguably the hardest in the current NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals who will have a healthy Joe Burrow returning this year. The Steelers did add Russell Wilson to their quarterback position, but even then, the jury is still out on him after a couple of rough seasons in Denver. Pittsburgh’s saving grace is that head coach, Mike Tomlin, will be back and they still boast an elite defensive unit. All in all, the Steelers will be competitive, but it is difficult to envision them winning the AFC North as of now.
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