Tag: Fifth-Year Option

Insider believes Najee Harris is unlikely to re-sign with Steelers

Ray Fittipaldo said that while Najee Harris’ play has been great this season, the odds of him re-signing remain low.

Najee Harris has been one of the best running backs in the NFL this season, ranking seventh in rushing yards with 592 on 4.4 yards per carry.

But in the eyes of Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo, Harris is unlikely to be back in Pittsburgh next year.

While making an appearance on “The Joe Starkey Show,” Fittipaldo was asked if Harris’ numbers were enough for Pittsburgh to re-sign the running back.

Much to the dismay of Steelers fans, Fittipaldo stated: “The guy is having a great season, but when you decline the option in May, I think, you know, eight, nine times out of 10, you’re not gonna go do business with that guy when the season ends.”

He was, of course, referencing how Pittsburgh declined to pick up Harris’ fifth-year option, which would allow him to hit free agency in 2025.

Could Harris force the Steelers to acknowledge his elite performance in his contract year, ultimately earning himself a big payday with the team? Or will Pittsburgh instead choose to re-sign the potentially cheaper option in RB Jaylen Warren?

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Steeler RB Najee Harris on not getting his fifth-year option: ‘I was disappointed for a minute’

Najee Harris made it seem like him not getting his fifth-year option wasn’t his idea.

After skipping the media upon entering the dorms at training camp, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris addressed the media and the topic of his contract had to come up. Harris hadn’t spoken to the media since rumors swelled that he was the one who asked not to have his fifth-year option so he would pursue free agency at the end of the season.

Harris was asked if he was disappointed that the team didn’t pick up his option and he did say, “I was disappointed for a minute” but then followed it up by focusing on the season and admitting that helping the team be successful is most important right now.

Harris seemed like a slam dunk to get his fifth-year option after rushing for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. No running back had ever accomplished such a feat. But it is great to see Harris at camp and seemingly ready to get to work.

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Najee Harris’ agent rips radio host who claimed he wants to leave Steelers

Najee Harris’ agent says the radio host’s claim about his client is not true.

Earlier on Thursday, radio host Paul Zeise said on 93.7 The Fan that he was told running back Najee Harris asked the team to decline his fifth-year option and he plans to move on from the Steelers at the end of the season.

Harris’ agent Doug Hendrickson took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast Zeise, calling his claim a “joke” and telling him to do his homework next time.

The Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option, leaving him set to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 season.

While we appreciate Harris’ agent going public with a denial, it really doesn’t mean anything at this point. Even if Harris didn’t ask the team to decline his option so he could leave in free agency, he still might have asked for them to decline it so he could try to earn a big contract extension with them at the end of the season.

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Paul Zeise claims RB Najee Harris is ready to move on from Steelers

According to one radio host, Steelers running back Najee Harris asked to have his fifth-year option declined.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Pittsburgh Steelers declined the fifth-year option for running back Najee Harris. This means Harris will play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, and if the two sides don’t work out a new contract, he will hit free agency next offseason.

According to 93.7 The Fan radio host Paul Zeise, the decision to decline Harris’ fifth-year option came from Harris and not from the front office.

“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,” Zeise said.

If this is the case, and we have no reason to believe it isn’t, we will find out soon enough once the season gets going. If the Steelers have no plans to bring Harris back and Harris has no plans to return, the team could easily turn to Jaylen Warren and shift the bulk of the workload to him.

But if the team wanted to be a little spiteful, why not work Harris into the ground one last time?

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Should the Steelers trade RB Najee Harris?

The Steelers declined the fifth-year option on running back Najee Harris.

Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers declined the fifth-year option of running back Najee Harris. This means Harris heads into his 2024 season playing out the final year of his rookie contract with no assurances about his future with the Steelers.

There have been some rumblings that the Steelers might consider trading Harris and handing over the feature-back role to Jaylen Warren. Truth be told, this could happen even if Harris isn’t traded.

Harris is the only running back in the NFL to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons and has been consistent and dependable.

Should Pittsburgh trade Harris away before the start of the season? It isn’t clear what the team’s plan is but the front office declining that fifth-year option might be simply a formality ahead of a new contract. We don’t like the idea of trading Harris away but if the team has no intention of re-signing him, it might be the only opportunity to get any value in return.

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Broncos won’t pick up QB Zach Wilson’s 5th-year option

The Broncos won’t pick up QB Zach Wilson’s fifth-year option, so he’s set to become a free agent in 2025.

The Denver Broncos picked up cornerback Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option for the 2025 season last week, but the team will not exercise quarterback Zach Wilson’s fifth-year option before the May 2 deadline, according to the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

This, of course, is no surprise because the cost of the option for a quarterback like Wilson would be $22.4 million in 2025. The Broncos will pay him just $2.72 million this fall after agreeing to split his remaining salary with the Jets.

Surtain and Wilson were eligible for fifth-year options because they were first-round picks in the 2021 NFL draft. Surtain is now under contract for the next two years, and Denver will presumably work on getting him a long-term extension.

Wilson is set to spend the 2024 season with the Broncos before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2025. If all goes well, Denver might consider re-signing Wilson, but there’s no need to pick up his pricey option now.

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Cowboys officially pick up 5th-year option on Micah Parsons

From @ToddBrock24f7: As expected, the Cowboys will lock in Parsons for 2025 for $21.32 million, unless the sides come to a long-term extension agreement prior.

The Cowboys said back in early March they would do it, and on Wednesday they finally did.

The team has officially picked up the fifth-year option on Micah Parsons, as reported by Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, who cited “a person familiar with the move.”

Parsons is now locked in to make a fully guaranteed $21.32 million for the 2025 season unless he and the front office come to a new long-term agreement before the ’25 season begins.

That dollar amount is the fifth-year option price for a defensive end, which is where Parsons played the majority of his snaps last year. Had he been officially classified as a linebacker, the option price would have jumped to $24 million.

Wide receiver and Cowboys teammate CeeDee Lamb is currently set to make $17.99 million playing this season on his fifth-year option, a tactic reserved for clubs to use on first-round draft picks once they near the end of their standard four-year rookie deals.

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The Cowboys have said they hope to sign Parsons to a long-term contract extension, but they have also said the same about Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott. None has yet reached an agreement with the organization.

When it does happen, Parsons’s extension is widely expected to make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, topping the $34 million average annual salary the San Francisco 49ers currently pay defensive end Nick Bosa.

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Steelers planning to pass on fifth-year option for QB Justin Fields

Justin Fields is not expected to get his fifth-year option with Pittsburgh.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not expected to pick up the fifth-year option on newly-acquired quarterback Justin Fields. If the Steelers did this, they would be on the hook for more than $25 million in 2025 just to pay Fields.

Trading for Fields was the second most exciting quarterback addition of the Steelers offseason. After completely gutting the quarterback depth chart, the Steelers went out and signed veteran Russell Wilson to be the starter and then pulled off the trade with the Chicago Bears to land Fields.

This news means all three of the Steelers current quarterbacks are playing out the final years of their contracts in 2024. Some have said this is a prove-it year for Fields but short of a catastrophic injury to Wilson, Fields isn’t likely to see the field. This muddies up his value and future with the team.

Pittsburgh also has until the May 2 deadline to decide about the fifth-year option for starting running back Najee Harris.

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Broncos exercise Pat Surtain’s 5th-year option for 2025 season

The Broncos have picked up Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option. He’ll now earn about $19.8 million in 2025.

The Denver Broncos have picked up cornerback Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option for the 2025 NFL season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Next week (May 2) was the deadline to exercise the option.

Surtain, 24, had one year remaining on his rookie contract before Denver exercised the option for next year. Surtain is set to earn about $3.5 million in 2024. He’ll get a big raise in 2025 as the fifth-year option is projected to be worth about $19.8 million.

Every player picked in the first round has a team option for a fifth season. The cost of that option depends on the player’s position, playing time and Pro Bowl selections.

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Surtain’s basic salary would have been around $12.4 million if he did not meet any of the following incentives: playing time ($13.3 million), one Pro Bowl ($17.2 million) or two Pro Bowls ($19.8 million), according to NFL Network.

Surtain maxed out his potential earnings by playing 95% of the team’s defensive snaps and earning two Pro Bowl nods in his first three seasons. The star cornerback is now under contract for at least two more years, and the Broncos will likely work on a long-term extension next.

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No decision on fifth-year option for Steelers RB Najee Harris

Mike Tomlin is playing it very close to the vest about Najee Harris’ fifth-year option.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pair of players coming up on a very important deadline. Both quarterback Justin Fields and running back Najee Harris both have a May 2 deadline to see if the Steelers will exercise the fifth-year option on either player.

Head coach Mike Tomlin talked about the Harris contract situation when he spoke to the media at the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando and he said the team is still sorting out the particulars of whether or not to give Harris the fifth year.

Harris has been the model of consistency during his three seasons. Harris has topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three years and no matter how the rest of the team has played, he gave 100 percent on every single play and has established himself as a leader on the offense.

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