The current WR Situation

That was in response to them reporting that Najee wanted out of Pittsburgh. NOT, that he wants more than $7 million next year and would not play on the option year if asked.

FYI, Najee is the only RB to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last 3 years, and is younger than Barkley, who has a history of injury problems.

Najee will get his $12 million per year next year. I would not have problem at all if Pittsburgh gives Najee a 3-year $36 million contract next year.

Jacobs just signed a 4 year $48 million contract and Najee was way better than Jacobs last year.

I am easily taking Najee over these 3 backs.

Saquon Barkley NYG PHI 3 yr/$37.5M
Derrick Henry TEN BAL 2 yrs/$16M
Josh Jacobs LV GB 4 yrs/$48M

 

or any other team in the NFL on the open market unless he has a monster season in 2024

 

Jacobs missed four games last year after leading the league in touches, yards, and yards from scrimmage in 2022. I don't have the article in front of me for specifics, but t's not uncommon for a back to have a down year after they lead the league in rushing.

That said, 2022 was the only year he didn't miss at least a game or two, while Harris has yet to miss a start - and he let the league in touches his rookie year. I can certainly see Harris staking a claim for an AAV between Jacobs and Mixon, who rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in RB AAV. Mixon's AAV is $9.8M after signing an extension with the Texans shortly after his trade. OTC's valuation of his 2023 was $8.9M, and his stat line was nearly the same as Harris', save for about 20 more receptions and 200 more yards receiving. But that's a bi-product of having Warren in the backfield, not a deficiency in Harris' game. To wit, Mixon's 2023 snap share was 69%, Harris' 52%.

The Steelers choosing not to at least pick up his $7M option to me points to something going on behind the scenes, not financial constraint.

 

That was in response to them saying Najee told the team not to pick up his fifth year option.

 

You couldn't be more wrong on this. Please post a link if you can. Najee was disputing the article because it said he wanted out of Pittsburgh.

I will bet you anything you want that Najee signs a contract for more than $10 million per year next year. Najee is the best pure power RB in the league right now.

 

Wow, this article if true would , would seriously lead to the idea that the Steelers have infact given up on Najee's future with the team, and may explain why Najee wants out of Pittsburgh.

Kaboly: Steelers Put Najee Harris In Leadership Role Before He Was Ready - Steelers Depot

Nope: This is he article I actually wanted to link. This article dives a little deeper in to the Relationship Najee and the Steelers have.

Insider reveals 1 root of tense Steelers-Najee Harris relationship (clutchpoints.com)
The strained relationship between Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers underscores the complexities of team dynamics and player management in the NFL. Harris, once seen as a cornerstone for the post-Roethlisberger era, now faces an uncertain future.

I did not know Najee was refusing to speak out during OTAs.

 

The articles I've read (like this one) dealt with Harris' agent refuting the story from a radio host who claimed a source told him there was a request from Harris' camp that the Steelers decline his option so he could hit the market in 2025.



I didn't get the feeling that the agent was specifically responding to the idea of playing elsewhere or for more than the $7M option, just that the story itself was bogus.

 

https://x.com/bepryor/status/1788651819918365018

 

I believe Najee not getting the fifth year option is more about who the Steelers need to resign next year and the way the RB position is valued in todays NFL than it is about Najee’s performance. They have to resign one of the QB’s, Heyward and extend Pickens, Friermuth, and Watt. That leaves little left and they will have to choose between Warren and Najee. Theoretically RB is one of the easiest positions to fill so why not just draft someone in round two on the cheap? I would love to keep Najee but it may not be practical to do so with the amount of money you have to spend on QB’s, WR’s, Edge and DL players there is only so much to go around.

 

We all know you would have not known that word.

 

Najee Harris not getting the fifth year option definitely stings for certain. For me, I would have done so; doubly so given how the Offense is designed in addition to having more additions to the Offensive Line.


However, let's not pretend that RB's now have some form of mythical value attached to them in the current paradigm of the league. Sounds conceited I know but a RB like Harris, who will be 27 by 2025 with the amount of carries he has and will soon have, isn't ideal in terms of Roster building. Now, how the likes of AR II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin had built the Offensive Line (or lack thereof) to aid Najee cannot be understated; terrible misses on the likes of Kendrick Green and Dan Moore with the inexplicable misuse of Kevin Dotson. A porous Offensive Line isn't going to do much for many RBs overall; even the most elite of elite ones. Hell, take a look at what happened to Christian McCaffrey last season after being traded to San Fran; instant success due mainly to a great Offensive Line Unit. Derrick Henry's 2019-2020 and 2022 Campaigns were also due in part to a great Offensive Line. Overall, the relationship between the two is symbiotic; a great RB can only be so if he has the Offensive Line to back him up. Unless you are a Barry Sanders or Adrian Peterson type of Running Back..... great Offensive Line play is required.


In short?! Najee was done zero favors by the Steelers until too late. Should Najee have a great 2024 Campaign, expect him to not come back; forcing Pittsburgh to find another Running Back again come 2025. This time though, I expect Pittsburgh to not select one early.

 

The usage of Pitts, London and Bijian wasn't the total problem with Smith down in Atlanta as a whole. The ways in which they were being used was; namely Pitts.

 

Sean Payton's greatest fear better be doing worse than his inaugural season as Broncos Head Coach. Should he perform worse this season than in 2023, that seat is going to warm up by quite a bit.

 

If any of the talk about Najee having problems with the Front Office is true, I could definitely see the Giants WR Darius Slayton back on board for a trade to the Steelers. I am sure the Giants would love to have a back like Najee to replace Saquon Barkley.

 

I can see him being petty enough to block a trade that might help his team just to screw over Wilson. He is that much of a jackass.

 

nice write up on wilson.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...S&cvid=aae24659d54446a1b82c216bdb4add7b&ei=17

 

I don't think there's been a 'mythical value' placed on RBs for some time now in the league. As you noted, the dynamic has changed. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't value in the position, nor is there a plug-and-play certainty with draftees. The Steelers had the opportunity to at least keep Harris in 2025 at a value he had already matched (per OTC) in Canada's offense with an inconsistent o-line. Barring injury, I don't see him getting worse this year, and if he improves with the upgrades now at coordinator and line they likely don't have him in 2025, and certainly not at a 1yr/$7M price tag.

Still, if they wanted to look at a longer extension I don't think Harris' age is much of a factor from a risk perspective. McCaffrey (28 y/o, 2yrs/$38M), Jacobs (26, 4/$48M), and Barkley (27, 3/$38M) all signed multi-year deals this offseason with a $12.5M AAV minimum, and all three have had significant injuries in previous seasons.

 

True. But,

They refused to pay him 7 mill on the option. They are not going to give him a multi year deal of 10 miil+.like those you mentioned.

They will let him go get paid elsewhere after this season.

I believe they will extend Warren at some point next season.

 

That really means nothing. All that means is it's their time to shine. I mean I could use RBs as examples......remember when their salaries were so High.....didn't mean they weren't replaceable.....just means that team thought they were.....history shows they weren't. Again just because something is popular (like paying Wrs are right now)....doesn't make it good , or correct. I'm sure if You thought about it You could find 100s of examples of what I'm getting at, but You are just short sighting this for some reason by going.....Wrs are getting paid a lot .....Me thinks therefore they must be hard to replace, and thats not it. They are stars....that are some of the best known to the average NFL fan outside of the Qb....that is why they are getting paid.

 

When I stated "mythical value", I am referring to those who believe every Running Back has the same level of talent and capability as the three you mentioned in the end. For that matter, as far as I am concerned, with the possible exception of Barkley, the other two are easily top 3 Running Backs in all of Football. Injuries or not, we all have seen the tremendous talent of the likes of Christian McCaffrey (very much a HOF Player), Josh Jacobs (an All Pro) and even SaQuon (someone who, like Najee, was brought into a terrible situation). Their contracts are a reflection of not just what those players were but what those teams are expecting them to be.


I cannot say in good faith that Najee has become a Top 5 Running Back in Football. Again, not all his fault as discussed before. However, his lack of explosive Running Plays in comparison to the people you just mentioned leaves a lot to be desired when comparing him to the aforementioned Running Backs listed above. Now, I am expecting Najee to break out in a major way this upcoming season. However, I also expect him to leave Pittsburgh for better opportunities as well.

 

This isn't so much Sean not caring about a player anymore. This is nothing more than pride and ego talking. This very clip is just the "icing on the cake". Sean's entire 2023 Season with Russell Wilson provided the "cake".


Regarding Sutton?! Agreed. That said, other than Pickens, there isn't much else to be hopeful about. As much as I loved Roman Wilson coming out (still do), for him to be the number two heading into 2024?! That is quite the tall task.

 

Payton is like Belichik. Take away his security blanket HoF QB and he struggles