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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
LATROBE, Pa. — Speaking for the first time since the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to decline his fifth-year option, running back Najee Harris said Wednesday that he was “disappointed” with the team’s decision, but the 26-year-old didn’t let the hurt linger.
“I was disappointed for a minute, but I mean, it’s nothing really where me sitting around being disappointed for too long will do anything to help me out,” Harris said as the Steelers reported to training camp at St. Vincent College. “I think that it is what it is, and you just got to keep it pushing and knowing that coming out here and doing what’s best for the team and having a good year is what’s most important right now.”
Harris, who was selected 24th overall in the 2021 draft, leads the NFL with 978 touches over the past three seasons (44 more than any other player). In 2023, however, Harris played the fewest number of snaps in his career as he split time in the backfield with Jaylen Warren. Harris played 53% of offensive snaps and scored eight touchdowns, while Warren played 49% and scored four touchdowns.
Harris said Steelers brass explained the decision to him by saying, “I don’t know where the offense is headed.”
The Steelers fired former offensive coordinator Matt Canada midway through the 2023 season and brought in former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as the team’s new offensive coordinator in the offseason. Smith, who was also previously the Tennessee Titans‘ offensive coordinator, has a reputation for building offenses with strong ground attacks and using play-action passing concepts.
A year ago, Harris was outspoken about the state of running backs’ contracts and the devaluation of the position. He asserted again Wednesday that the position is still an important one, even if running backs aren’t fetching top-dollar deals.
“They’re only devalued when it’s time to pay,” Harris said. “I mean, obviously they’re not devalued, though. If you look around. Me sitting here saying that I’m a devalued position where there’s games where I literally carry the offense, giving me the ball, so it’s not really devalued. They just, when it’s time to pay you, and I think that’s when they want to devalue the position, which, it is what it is.”
And although it’s an ongoing issue, Harris said there isn’t much the players can do to increase the value of their contracts.
“Right now, we’re not put in the best position, because if they tell us to, this game, you got to carry the ball this much time, you can’t say no,” he said. “I mean it won’t look good on you. You don’t have no leverage, really, right now as a running back.”
In declining the $6.7 million option, the Steelers effectively made Harris a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and he said there haven’t been any negotiations on an extension.
But the running back said he still wants to stay in Pittsburgh long term.
“Most definitely. I like it here in Pittsburgh,” Harris said. “I like Coach [Tomlin], Mr. Rooney [team president Art Rooney II], Omar [Khan], even [former general manager] Kevin Colbert when he was here.
“It’s a good city. Obviously. The people here are nice and are welcoming, but it’s a business. This comes and goes in your life. … I’ve been around this stuff all my life, and what I always take from it is I’ve always been in the driver’s seat of this, and God’s been steering it and wherever he stops the cars is wherever I’m working at, and if it’s here or somewhere else, by all means I’m going to do everything I can for that team. And that’s just the mindset you got to have with this sport.”
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