Congrats Najee Harris

That just isn't true. Most backs don't have the durability to play full 17 game seasons, and only a few backs are big enough to take that toll consistently (and Henry is the only back that size that is good in the NFL, and is a true outlier). Just because he has fought injuries a bit this season (for the first time in his now nearly 3 year career), it doesn't mean that he CANT be given a larger workload. He's the same weight as Bijan Robinson, he's just 3 inches shorter. He's plenty stout enough for it. Its definitely unfortunate for us that he's battled injury a bit this year, but he's only missed 3 games in 3 years to date.

Also, as someone that is a proponent of giving Warren a shot at the lead role.... I also know that we should keep him in a tandem even if he is in the lead role. We need to have multiple RB's and they have to have similar skill sets. Warren doesn't need 30 touches a game (and shouldn't if we want to get the best version of him). I'd love to give him 14 carries and 4 receptions a game though. Give the rest of the touches to someone else. We need someone like Treyveon Henderson in the draft. Someone that has a similar skillset to Warren, but is just more physically gifted. The offense wouldn't have to change one bit with either of them on the field, and neither of them would have to shoulder the toll of a full workload.

 

This. We brought the vet in to make that vet difference. Wilson has made some VERY costly turnovers of late, and really the main reason why we are on this skid is because we've been turning it over too much and not turning the opposition over enough. He hasn't been good enough outside of a select handful of games against non-playoff teams to sit here and act like he's guaranteed a spot on next year's team. If he wants to be here next year, he better beat the Bengals on Saturday and find a way to go to Houston and get a win. Simple as that.

I don't want to pay him 30+ million dollars for a repeat of what he's put out there this season. We'd really be banking on massive upgrades at RB1 and WR2 to unlock another gear.

 

How many people are on these teams

I’m not sure I see a lot

 

Whether they think Wilson will turn the ball over is irrelevant to whether or not that is a copout. The safety isn't in position to intercept the pass if Pickens runs his route correctly. You claim that people are pushing a narrative by bringing it up, but you are doing the same by trying to ignore it. Pickens is partly at fault and Wilson should have seen that and thrown to Warren instead. Both things are true.

Coming into this season, I pointed out that Fields had been a turnover machine. The Steelers didn't trust him enough to open up the offense with him as the quarterback. He wasn't all that effective even against a weak early schedule. They weren't winning even 10 games with the offense that they had with Fields at quarterback. Fields has had three fulls seasons and six games this year. The Steelers have had ample opportunity to see what he is.

 

Quarterbacks don't win games alone, and Wilson didn't lose those last three games alone. The defense had faltered badly. So has the offensive line.

 

Cousins didn't get a seven-year contract (the number of years you brought up earlier). He signed a four-year, $180 million deal. Of that, $100 million was guaranteed. That actually wouldn't be a bad deal for Darnold given the season he has had.

 

Again, that argument about Fields does not make it a copout to point out that Pickens screwing up his route played a role in Wilson's interception against the Chiefs. If the safety isn't there, Freiermuth has a chance at catching a touchdown on that play, so Pickens' mistake is not irrelevant.

All of these arguments are speculation, but there was a huge difference in the offense once Wilson took over. No way the Steelers light up the Bengals the way they did with Fields in the game. That alone would have them playing for their playoff berth this weekend. Do you really think they would have had a shot against the Eagles, Ravens, or Chiefs with Fields? Come on.

That contract isn't unreasonable at all for a player with a top-three pick pedigree coming off a monster season. So the Steelers can waste time hoping Fields becomes something he has shown no signs of becoming or pay the price of admission for player with comparable talent who has actually shown he can get the job done at an elite level in the NFL.

I don't think it is going to matter. I think the Vikings are going to re-sign Darnold. I doubt the Steelers will spend what it takes to get him if they don't.

 

Hell, I was going to say that every time Jaylen gets the ball for more than 10 carries he appears on the teams next injury report.


As I pointed out, I think what Henry and Barkley have done for their new teams this year is going to reset the RB market. Najee will get his $12 million this year from some team that is looking to do what Philadelphia and Baltimore have done this year.

 

If I had to bet, I'd bet that team will be the Cowboys. They blew it on Henry, and they'll be chasing their loss.

 

Or the OL could do their job and open some holes for him.

 

Fields weakens the passing game, which is how you have to attack the Ravens. You talked about me relying too much on speculation, then just assume they would have won the first game against the Browns with Fields. Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 270 yards, a beauty of a touchdown pass to Austin, and no interceptions in that game. I'm not sure why you would assume playing Fields playing would somehow turn that into a win, but the evidence does not back up that claim.

Why are you assuming Darnold would only stay in Minnesota if they give him a massive contract? Maybe something reasonable is enough to keep him on a strong team with excellent receivers.

 

I'm simply pointing out that you criticized me for speculating, then pulled out a whopper of your own. It is a serious reach to argue that the Steelers would have won that Thursday night game in Cleveland if Fields had started. Wilson's arm was a big part of what offense they did manage in that game. They did get one run from Fields, but otherwise, he was not good when he played that night, so your argument makes little sense. The offense has been better since Wilson took over. Yes, the last three games have been rough, but there is no reason to believe it would have been any better with Fields against that level of competition.

I didn't write that Darnold would take a discount to stay there. You implied that it would take some sort of massive deal for him to stay. I'm saying that a comparable offer to what he can get in the open market would be enough.

 

I didn't suggest they would collapse, but they wouldn't have won as many games with the weaker offense. The offense was weaker with Fields. The game against the Bengals is the best example of a game that they needed that more potent offense to win. Wilson was fantastic that day. I doubt Fields could have pulled that off.

I don't think you realize what passes for reasonable for NFL quarterbacks these days. Daniel Jones got $40 million per year, though with the team able to get out of it after two years, after a season that wasn't as good as what Darnold is doing now. Darnold isn't settling for $30 million per year.

 

If that is all it takes then save the money on Najee get an OL and get a RB off the street

 

Even Roethlisberger doesn’t think he is worth a lot contract wise

"There's gonna be a lot of questions up there for [Najee Harris], what they want to do there," Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast . "If I'm a GM and I have the team first, I'm trying to low-ball him. See what's the least amount of money I can offer to keep him here."

The Steelers were smart to decline the 5th year