Najee Harris Returning to Steelers?

One insider believes chances are the Pittsburgh Steelers bring back their running back.

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) reacts after the victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have a "job opening" at the running back position, and many expected to be filled by an outside option. With Jaylen Warren being a restricted free agent, that appeared to be the cheapest and simplest first choice, along with the NFL Draft. But according to one team insider, that may not be the case.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac believe chances are that Najee Harris is back on the Steelers roster in 2025. The former first-round pick did not have his fifth-year option picked up, and is set to hit the open market, but could make a return to Pittsburgh instead.

"Well, I would tell you there will be no hometown discount," Dulac wrote in his recent Steelers Chat. "But I think the chances are better he returns than not."

During his four years with the Steelers, Harris recorded four 1,000-yard seasons and a total of 28 touchdowns. He started all 68 games in his first four years of the league, despite dealing with some minor injuries and a few different variations of an offensive line.

Harris was expected to receive a decent payday on the open market, so it'll be interesting to see if the Steelers match it. If they are willing to pay him his estimated value of $9.166 million per season, it would likely change the course of their entire offseason, leaving them roughly $10 million less than what was expected.

Pittsburgh could still look to make a change in their backfield, even if Harris returns. That may mean Warren is no longer with the team, or that the Steelers move on from Cordarrelle Patterson and try to bring in a new No. 3. But either way, the move would certainly create new questions on how the roster will look in 2025.

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