The Pittsburgh Steelers recently declined running back Najee Harris' fifth-year option, which was an interesting decision that brought a reaction from Steelers legend Jerome Bettis.
“I was surprised, but here's why I'm not surprised,” Jerome Bettis said on The Joe Starkey Show, according to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now. “I'm not surprised because there's, I believe, a conscious effort the NFL has taken on running backs… to keep the numbers for running backs under wraps so that they can have the money to go give quarterbacks, and give to wide receivers, and give to tight ends.”
In recent years, the running back position has become devalued a bit, which is shown by the amount that they are getting paid in free agency. None of the top running backs came close to the $16 million a year that Christian McCaffrey gets. The top ones like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs still get good deals, but the pay for the position has not gone up like it has for other positions. It is viewed as a low-value position by many.
Bettis is a running back himself, and was a big part of the Steelers in his playing days. It is not surprising to hear him essentially say that the running back position has been slighted. It seems that he also believes Harris is a quality player and would not have objected to Pittsburgh picking up the fifth year option for Harris.
Najee Harris' Steelers career
The Steelers drafted Harris in the first round in the 2021 NFL Draft. While he has topped 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, he has not been the weapon that he was expected to be so far. His rookie year was probably his best, as he had 1,200 rushing yards along with 467 receiving yards with 10 combined touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference.
The next season, Harris followed that up with 1,034 rushing yards and 229 receiving yards, once again with 10 combined touchdowns. This past season, he had 1,035 rushing yards with 170 receiving yards with eight rushing touchdowns and no receiving touchdowns.
Something to consider is that Harris' rookie year was Ben Roethlisberger's final season, and his receiving yards dropped as Pittsburgh transitioned to Kenny Pickett in 2022.
However, the yards per attempt has been disappointing overall throughout Harris' career. In his rookie season, Harris averaged 3.9 yards per carry, and followed that up with 3.8 yards per carry in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference. He upped that to 4.1 yards per carry in 2023, which is a bit better, but overall in his career, Harris has not been as efficient as some had hoped when he was drafted.
It will be interesting to see how Harris fares this season and how the Steelers use him after declining his fifth year option. He could set himself up for a nice payday next offseason with a good 2024 campaign.
