Should the Steelers extend Najee Harris after the 2023 season?
The NFL running back market has officially gone down hill. Running backs are begging for money at a ridiculously high price and owners are just not wanting to pay them. So that begs the question, with Najee Harris’ rookie contract expiring in two years, should they extend him after this season?
Harris is regarded as one of the league’s best running backs. After playing four years at the University of Alabama, Pittsburgh selected Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The rest if history. Harris has become a two-way back. His ability to catch passes out of the backfield is world class. Not to mention he is also a patient runner, similar to another Steelers running back: Le’Veon Bell.
With the running back market already at an all-time low, it’s only getting worse. Shouldn’t the Steelers just trade Harris? Well, there’s no need to trade Harris right now. First off, the Steelers will get absolutely no value out of him with the market crashing. Why not keep him when he’s still on his rookie contract? He’s still an excellent player.
Why the Steelers should extend Harris
To start off this heated debate, we have to look at Pittsburgh’s situation right now. The pieces the Steelers have accumulated around their offense set the foundation to have a good team in the future. Extending Harris would allow him to age alongside George Pickens and Kenny Pickett in the Steelers’ offense. That’s good, right? Yes. Not extending Harris would put Pittsburgh behind in a competitive AFC North.
Another reason why the Steelers should sign Harris now is due to a snowball effect. When one running back signs a lucrative high value deal, the market will only increase. If the Steelers and Harris can come together at a reasonable deal, it will benefit Pittsburgh and the team’s fans in the long run. Plus, the NFL salary cap is only going to get bigger when new TV deals are signed.
Why the Steelers shouldn’t extend Harris
I think it would be foolish for the Steelers to not sign Harris to a long-term deal. Yes, we all know that running backs don’t last for long, but he didn’t have too much wear on him at Alabama and even in his first two years in the NFL. On the flipside, he is 25-years-old. He is an older running back for his time in the league.
With that being said, there are two main negatives regarding why the Steelers shouldn’t extend him. First off, age is a concern for Harris in signing a deal. That’s one, but running backs age more based on usage and Harris isn’t too worn out. Pittsburgh just has to use him smartly, though the team still has to get the highest value out of him.
The other reason behind why they shouldn’t sign him is the market right now. It would snowball for other running backs getting extensions, but Harris would be the guinea pig in this situation. Seeing all these older, injury prone backs in free agency whom are available and signing Harris would seem odd.
But to all the Steelers fans out there who are still reading, I can assure you it wouldn’t be stupid for the Steelers to extend him. All that Pittsburgh has to do is keep Harris young, don’t overuse him and give him a contract at his value that is reasonable. In that sense, it would be very smart to extend him.
Should the Steelers extend Najee Harris? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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