Steelers decline 5th-year options for RB Najee Harris, QB Justin Fields

The Pittsburgh Steelers declined the fifth-year options for running back Najee Harris and quarterback Justin Fields, making them eligible for free agency after the 2024 season.

Harris was scheduled to earn $6.97 million in 2025 had the Steelers exercised his option. Fields, who was acquired from the Chicago Bears in March, had an option worth $25.644 million.

NFL teams had until 4 p.m. Thursday to make their decision on fifth-year options for players picked in the first round of the 2021 draft.

The organization wants to see how Harris performs in the offense of first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith before attempting to sign him to another contract. Harris is expected to share the running back duties with Jaylen Warren, whose role increased in 2023.

While the hefty price tag scared the Steelers away from picking up Fields’ option, the number allocated for Harris was more reasonable. Running backs had the lowest fifth-year option amounts of any position.

Harris and Fields will enter the final season of their contracts. Harris will earn $2.439 million in base salary this year, and Fields will earn $1.6 million in the deal he signed when he was selected by the Bears with the No. 11 overall pick that year. Harris was taken by the Steelers with the No. 24 pick.

The only other running back in that class, Travis Etienne, was taken one pick after Harris by the Jacksonville Jaguars. His fifth-year option worth $6.143 million was exercised earlier in the week.

Of the five quarterbacks taken in the first round that year, only No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence had his option exercised. Jacksonville will pay him $25.644 million in 2025.

The Steelers have not exercised a fifth-year option on a player they drafted since 2020 when they did it for outside linebacker T.J. Watt. They picked up the option two years ago for free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was drafted by Miami.

Harris never has missed a game in his three seasons with the Steelers, making 51 consecutive starts.

In 2023, Harris became the first player in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first NFL seasons. He is the only NFL running back to do it the past three years and the first to open his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Washington’s Alfred Morris from 2012-14.

Since the fifth-year option became a part of the collective bargaining agreement in 2011, the Steelers have declined it with five of their draft picks: Jarvis Jones (2013), Artie Burns (2016), Terrell Edmunds (2018), Devin Bush (2019) and Harris (2021). The Steelers did not have a first-round pick in 2020 because of the Fitzpatrick trade.