Najee’s 5th will cost 7 million

That the current GM was stupid enough to decline Harris's fifth-year option does not make taking him a mistake.

 

Anybody who thinks keeping just Warren beyond this year is a better option needs to watch the game against the Ravens in the rain again. Warren hasn't shown he can play in bad weather.

 

you speak very often first without much thought. (or may that IS your thought - which is the problem)

what if it is announced that Najee signs a 4 yr extension?

you run your mouth a lot.

our GM is not stupid, to set the record straight

 

Kenny is gone, now you will start you Harris diatribe.....

 

Not really. The more I think about it, it makes sense. Najee may not be a fit in the wide zone run scheme. He struggled to produce in that last year. I think our blocking had something to do with that. Running backs are not a highly valued position right now and you can get comparable replacements in free agency and the draft. Look how many teams let their so called franchise backs go elsewhere this year.

I like Najee but his lack of speed and explosion can limit our options with him. They are putting the scheme and the premiere positions first like Oline, Wr, QB on offense. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we don’t extend Muth either. I’m very impressed with Khan not just doing things the old way or safe way. Kilmer would have definitely extended him because it’s safe. Khans method breeds more accountability and looking to constantly get better. If you don’t produce or you aren’t a fit they will upgrade.

this may end up being a blessing in disguise for Najee. He needs to play angry and with a sense of urgency. When he does that he is a different back. They got a pissed off RB coming into the season now. It could be his best season.

 

I hope Najee responds to this in a positive way. If he withdraws from the team and makes it all about him and plays not to get injured that will hurt the team. I always feel like his heart isn’t always in it. The beginning of last year it felt like he was running without passion and then when Warren started to produce it was like the light went on and he played a little angrier.

he really is at a crossroads. He could channel this as motivation and play angry or he could be the victim play the year out sign out west somewhere for much less than he thinks he is going to get and probably not even finish out the second contract.

I don’t think he is going to command a lot of attention on the open market because you may have to play a certain scheme for him and that scheme may be predictable and with the lack of speed and explosion it could really limit the teams that are interested in him.

 

Smith and Tomlin and Khan see something that is either not a fit, OR they are discussing a longer range plan and may be close to a reasonable extension

 

Surprised they didn’t pick it up, but not totally shocked. He has been a good player in a difficult situation, albeit I think he is a level below the best backs in the league.

He and Warren make a good 1/2 and I hope they find a way to keep them together after 2024

 

You could say the same about Najee the first half of the season last year. He was lackluster, slow and played without any passion. Sure the line didn’t help him out and they used him wrong but you have to be honest he runs hot and cold. Perhaps this is their way of trying to get more out of him. At any rate it is by far the easiest position to fill in the NFL outside of long snapper.

This move tells me they are not afraid to make bold moves and hold people accountable. It tells me they are committed to their OC and making the wide zone work. It really could be that Najee isn’t a fit in the new system and they are being fiscally smart in not over committing money to the rb position.

I wonder (and its a stretch) but maybe Najee is a player they are thinking of moving in a trade with Seattle for DK Metcalf and maybe one of their RB’s. Najee would probably love to play their his Dad lives out there.

 

I was ok picking up his option, and I'm ok letting him test FA. I've never been a huge fan of him as a player. As a guy, I think he's a good guy, and professional.

He might end up staying if he doesn't get the kind of money he's hoping for.

 

Past two years he was running behind a line that couldn’t block and stuck with a Canada playbook that comprised of 10-15 plays. Yet he still topped 1000 yards. Say what you will about the 17 games season, but there are loads of RBs that cannot make that claim. Asinine decision not to pick up the option in my opinion. Guys that he outplayed are getting $10M+ per year

 

LOL You already agreed with me that they should exercise the option, so this is just a thoughtless emotional response by you. Khan does a lot right, but this was a stupid decision. Deal with it.

Unless it is relatively cheap, I'm not at all in favor of signing Harris to an extension. He is a physical runner who takes a lot of hits. I think he has at least two more strong seasons in him, but four seems very optimistic. I doubt Harris is going to sign an extension that pays him less than $7 million for 2025.

 

I don't get it, but maybe he is on the outs with management.

2022 Najee was CO-Offensive Captain.
2023 They take away his Captain's Hat
2024 They decline to pick up his 5th year option for 2025.

And, he just won Angry Man of the year in 2023.

 

Exactly my feelings.

 

Yeah cause Angry man of the Year is reason to extend him.

He was Co captain because of seniority. The Offense was and is very young. Kenny Picket was Captain last year. that doesn’t mean much. Plus the players vote on that I believe. I like Najee. I don’t love him. He does run hot and cold but it could be the blocking, the play calling the scheme and probably all of the above. With that said he definitely is scheme specific. He has not lit it up in a wide zone scheme in the Pros. He did in college as that was wide zone but for some reason he has struggled with it in Pittsburgh. Did we not have the right offense line grouping to succeed at that type fblocking for him? Did Canada not know how to coach it up or call plays within that type of scheme? Or was it Najee? I think it comes down to them having legit questions about Najee in that particular scheme.

The bigger tell here is Khan is willing to cut bait way sooner than Colbert was if he think a player isn’t performing or a fit. That can be good or bad. A recent extension that has really hurt us is Ogunjobi. He has absolutely hurt us by not performing up to his contract. It was a bad resigning. I said that at the time. He is similar player to Najee in attitude as in chill. And his play is exemplary of that very attitude. Najee sometimes looks like he isn’t engaged in the game or that he wants to be there. That was especially apparent earlier last season. Where as Warren seems to always be charged up. But when Najee plays mad or motivated he is a beast. You just don’t know what Najee your going to get.

 

Strange you didn’t respond to my my response on this.

 

This is in no way responsive to my post, which tells me you know I'm right about that, too. Warren is great in his current role, but not a true No. 1 back. Glad you agree.

 

No, he didn't struggle to produce last year. The offensive line couldn't get its act together until they finally benched Okorafor. Once plays weren't getting constantly blown up in the backfield, Harris played extremely well. He had his best season despite the poor blocking in the first half of the season and a limited passing game most of the year. He was seventh in the NFL in rushing despite Warren taking a big chunk of the carries. You lost any credibility the moment you claimed that he struggled to produce in 2023.

Harris is the kind of power back who should thrive in Smith's offense, especially with an improved offensive line. Power backs are also even more valuable with the league outlawing the hip-drop tackle.

 

I responded to his first because his post was higher in the thread. Nice try, but this is almost as bad as your implication that he wasn't productive in 2023. Do you even watch the games?

 

Exactly. Only 12 running backs ran for over 1,000 yards last season. The Jaguars did pick up the option on Etienne, who had fewer hards than Harris. I like most what Khan has done, too, but some folks here are drinking deep of the Kool-Aide.

 

This is only smart if they can get a comparable back for less money a year from now. Another of the many things you and Mikey are missing here is the value of cost certainty. They have a lot of guys to sign after the 2024 season. The don't have any quarterbacks signed for 2025. Having the running back position settled at a decent cost would have helped in that area, too.

 

So they didn't pick up the 5th year option. He is not a great player. And not replicable.

Running backs are a dime a dozen. You can find solid running backs in the later rounds. Hell we have an undrafted one that took 48% of the carries last season.

I don't believe they declined the 5th year option to open the checkbook for him.

Also he spouted off the the media about the team lacking discipline and accountability. And also going off about running backs being underpaid.

They get him for one more year and he will make the best of it to get someone to overpay.

 

Thats a fair assessment but its obvious he isn’t a priority moving forward. If they valued him highly it would have been no brainer to sign him to a 7 million dollar extension. The real value he brings is his durability. He never gets hurt. I can argue this both ways for or against him. Khan has been pretty good so far I am going to trust in him on this one.

 

He wasn’t productive at the beginning of the season. The second half was significantly better. The big difference in the second half is he seemed to play more motivated. It appeared as if somebody talked with him but that is strictly conjecture. They played the Qb under center more and lined Najee up 7nyards deep and ran more gap than wide zone with Najee running up the middle. The big issue here is Smiths offense is all about the wide zone and for whatever reason Najee has not done well in that concept with the Steelers.