Whether you were a fan of Najee Harris or not, just about everyone who covers or watches the Pittsburgh Steelers was surprised when the team declined his fifth-year option.
Quite literally the best statistical back in franchise history to this point of his career, Harris has been a mainstay on an offense that lacked consistency over the past 3 years.
So to make such a bold move was head-scratching, with many wondering if maybe it came from Harris’ camp.
His agent says otherwise:
Najee Harris’ Agent Shuts Down Rumor
The tweet comes from Harris’ agent Doug Hendrickson, and was in response to a Paul Zeise of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, as well as the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, in which he stated:
“Little birdie said Najee Harris actually asked for the Steelers to decline his fifth-year option because he would like to go play somewhere else,” Zeise said.
Now, it’s unlike anyone from those two publications to come out with anything that is false, and something as wild as that surely was sourced appropriately, but it comes as both unique and plausible.
From an agent’s perspective, part of his job is to protect Najee’s image, so the response of calling Zeise’s source a joke is not surprising.
But when you consider the relationship between Harris and the organization, the seemingly outrageous theory isn’t that far-fetched.
We know that Harris has spoken out publicly against the organization and coaching staff after losses, as well as been vocal about the lack of respect shown to RBs on the open market in terms of their contract.
The former of which even prompted Mark Kaboly of The Atheltic to ponder if the attitude and statements of Harris weren’t a determining factor in the team’s decision to decline his option.
Either way, it’s all conjecture and drama that may or may not be playing a role in the whole situation.
What is known though, is that Harris can produce. The team reportedly wants to see if that Keeps up in Arthur Smith’s offense, but it should be expected to, with Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis confirming as much:
“He [Najee Harris] can play 100 percent. And he will be effective in this offense. He’s going to be good for this offense,” Bettis said during an appearance on The Joe Starkey Show.
At this point, whether the rumors or reports are true is trivial in my opinion. The two sides are highly unlikely to stick together past 2024, no matter how well Harris performs.
We’ll see who turns out right in the long run.
