The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2024 NFL season with a brand new offense. Pittsburgh has overhauled its coaches and players, bringing in a new offensive coordinator, two QBs, and a ton of skill-position talent. One returning Steelers player, running back Najee Harris, recently shared an update on his contract negotiation talks with the team.
Harris reported to Steelers' training camp on Wednesday even though the team declined his fifth-year rookie option. That means that he will need to agree to terms on a new contract with the team or enter free agency next spring.
Harris offered a concise answer when asked about his negotiations with the Steelers.
“Nothing.”
This is the first time we've heard from Najee Harris directly on the situation.
According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Harris has denied all interview requests since January. He said he would talk at the beginning of training camp, but he hasn't given us much yet. Harris also reportedly didn't participate in Steelers minicamp earlier this summer, though he was in attendance.
He is certainly acting like a player who is upset about his contract situation.
If you believe Steelers GM Omar Khan, the decision to decline Najee's fifth-year option does not mean Pittsburgh is moving on from him.
“It was a business decision we had to make,” Khan said in June, according to 93.7 The Fan via Nick Farabaugh. “Just because we didn't pick it up doesn't exclude us from doing something with Najee.”
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers use Najee Harris in the early parts of the 2024 season. This could give us a hint to the team's future plans at the running back position.
Previewing the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers offense
The biggest change on Pittsburgh's offense in 2024 will be at quarterback. Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph are gone, replaced by Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Wilson has been the favorite to start in Week 1, and it seems that's still the case heading into camp.
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When asked by ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor if Russell Wilson still has the upper hand over Justin Fields, Tomlin said, “Nothing has changed.”
Pittsburgh's skill-position players saw some shuffling this offseason. Former starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson was traded to the Panthers earlier this spring, which created a need for new talent at the position.
Since then, Omar Khan has drafted wide receiver Roman Wilson and brought in a handful of free agents including Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and the versatile Cordarrelle Patterson.
The Steelers also completely rebuilt the left side of their offensive line, adding three rookies who are expected to start in Week 1.
It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith designs Pittsburgh's offensive attack in 2024. For now, we're expecting a run-heavy scheme similar to what he deployed in Atlanta the past few years.
