Harris ‘disappointed’ team didn’t pick up option

If Najee Harris had his way, he would remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a long time.

Then again, if Harris had his way, he also would have had his fifth-year contract option for 2025 picked up.

But the Steelers didn’t make that latter happen. And Harris said Wednesday that they haven’t approached him about a long-term deal, either.

“I like it here in Pittsburgh. I like ‘Coach T’ (Mike Tomlin), Mr. (Art) Rooney, (general manager) Omar Khan …. It’s a good city, and obviously the people are nice and are welcoming,” Harris said from Saint Vincent College as the Steelers reported for the start of training camp. “But you know it’s a business. It comes and goes in your life. I have been around this stuff all my life and what I always take from it is I’ve always been in the driver’s seat of this, God has been steering it and wherever he stops the car is where I’m working at.

“If it’s here or somewhere else, by all means I am gonna do whatever I can do for that team, and that’s just the mindset you have to have for this sport.”

Speaking to media for the first time since January when the Steelers’ last season ended with a loss at the Buffalo Bills, Harris acknowledged that he felt initial disappointment when team brass informed him they would not be exercising the $6.7 million contact option they had for him for next season.

The explanation? “They didn’t know where the offense was headed,” Harris said. “That was it.”

The Steelers this year hired a new coordinator in Arthur Smith and have a new starting quarterback in Russell Wilson. Combined with that Jaylen Warren virtually matched Harris’ playing time at running back for the Steelers last season, the Steelers elected to let 2024 play out before committing to pay Harris — their 2021 firstround pick — in 2025.

“I was disappointed for a minute, but I mean like, there’s nothing really where me sitting around being disappointed for too long would do anything to help me out, you know?” Harris said. “I think that it is what it is, and you’ve just got to keep it pushing and knowing that coming out here and doing what’s best for the team and having a good year is what’s most important right now.”

Since he entered the league, no player has more touches that Harris (978). He is the only player in the NFL to surpass 1,000 rushing yards rushing each of the past three seasons.

But Harris’ career per-rush average is under 4.0, and even at his career-high rate last season (4.1) ranked only 23rd in the NFL.

Warren said Harris’ contract status has not affected his mindset heading into this camp.

“(It’s the) same (as always),” Warren said. “He wants to come in, get it, get his work in. He’s still hungry.”