Steelers' Najee Harris says NFL treatment of running backs is 'eye-opening'

Najee Harris is a year away from needing to worry about negotiations for a second contract. But the young Steeler star is concerned about what he sees with his chosen position in the NFL.

For whatever reason, league teams aren’t investing a ton of money in tailbacks. We’ve seen several quality running backs released this off season. Think Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott. And two of the league’s best backs — Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs — are skipping mandatory mini camp because they don’t like their franchise tag salaries.

“To see people like that get released, especially at my position, it’s like, damn, what did they do?” Najee Harris told reporters during a Tuesday media availability. “Is it because of their age? You know what I mean? Dalvin Cook is coming off of multiple 1,000 yard seasons. What? I don’t know. Is it money from the team? They got to pay somebody? I don’t know. But it’s eye-opening, for sure.”

RB Najee Harris had great insight today about the perceived short shelf life of running backs and the young age many end up looking for work.

He was also shocked to learn Tom Brady was 45 when he retired.

“He was 45? Gah damn.” pic.twitter.com/H7CQ4BLJ0W

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) June 13, 2023

The Steelers had their own recent issues with running backs and franchise tags. Najee Harris was a third-string running back at Alabama in 2018, when Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell decided to sit out the season after receiving a franchise tag for $14.5 million a year. (For context on how far the running backs have fallen, this season’s franchise tag for the position is $10.09 million).

Bell eventually signed a four-year deal with the Jets for $52.5 million. His rushing stats then dropped dramatically. He played for three more teams, but hasn’t seen action since 2021. Teams certainly can look at Bell as a cautionary tale in paying tailbacks.

Franchise tag amount, by position, for 2023

• Quarterback: $32.42 million
• Running back: $10.09 million
• Tight end: $11.35 million
• Wide receiver: $19.74 million
• Offensive line: $18.24 million
• Defensive tackle: $18.94 million
• Defensive end: $19.73 million
• Linebacker: $20.93 million
• Cornerback: $18.14 million
• Safety: $14.46 million

Still, Najee Harris is all in on his support for the position. The Steelers selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He responded with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

“The position is an art to me,” Najee Harris said. “I’ll always love the position. You could do so much. It’s almost as if you’re a queen in chess. You could do a lot of things: Line up out wide, run the ball, protection. [You] could be implemented in the offense so much. For them to say a position is not as valued, it’s kind of crazy.”

You can see he’s put a lot of thought into his pitch for better pay. But if you’re a tailback, it’s a young man’s game. Bijan Robinson, the eighth player selected in this year’s draft, now is the highest paid back. He’s set to earn $13.72 million with the Falcons. Christian McCaffrey is second at $12 million. Ten tailbacks earn at least $10 million. But running backs are the lowest-paid position in the NFL.