Najee Harris' Agent Denies Rumor Steelers RB Asked Team to Decline Contract Option

The Pittsburgh Steelers declined the fifth-year option on Najee Harris' contract, but the running back's agent clarified it wasn't by request.

As ESPN's Brooke Pryor shared, Doug Hendrickson shot down the rumor that Harris asked for the Steelers to decline the fifth-year option to give him the freedom to sign elsewhere for the 2025 campaign:

This comes after Paul Zeise of 93.7 The Fan said, "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."

Pryor previously reported the Steelers didn't want to exercise the fifth-year option without seeing how Harris fits into new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's system. That makes sense after the running back played just 53 percent of the snaps last season, which was the lowest mark of his career.

However, Pryor also noted the AFC North team isn't ruling out an eventual new contract with the Alabama product after the 2024 campaign if the fit makes sense.

Pittsburgh selected Harris with a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and he has run for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons in the league. He hasn't always been the most efficient with his opportunities and has averaged 3.9 yards per carry during that span.

Still, he posted a career-best 4.1 yards per carry in 2023 even with his fewest rushing attempts (255).

Harris showed promising signs last season and is still just 26 years old. Caution, especially at the running back position, is a reasonable approach from the team's perspective, but another successful season could have him in line for a notable new contract next offseason.

It remains to be seen whether that will be with the Steelers or someone else, but Thursday's clarification suggests Harris isn't already eyeing the opportunity to sign with a different team.