Alabama Sees One Of Their Best Players In School History Get Screwed Over By Their Current NFL Team

Alabama’s offense was high-flying three seasons ago, including four first-round offensive skill position NFL Draft picks in 2021. The offense featured quarterback Mac Jones, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy that season, and running back Najee Harris.

Najee Harris Heads To Pittsburgh

With the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris. Many destroyed the pick since drafting a running back in round one is a move most teams won’t do because of how the league is pass first; running backs usually wear down very quickly. There are a bunch of them you can draft late who could fill a major role, but Harris was very special, so taking him in the first round was no big deal.

When drafted in the first round, you have the luxury of getting a fifth-year option picked up by your current team. On Thursday, the Steelers decided not to pick up Harris’s fifth-year option for 2025, so he will be a free agent after this upcoming season.

Harris Has Been Very Soild So Far In The NFL

The 6-foot-1 running back has been very productive in his first three NFL seasons, playing in all 17 games and gaining over 1,000 rushing yards in all three seasons. The Alabama star had his best season in his rookie year when he gained 1,200 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground, which helped him reach the Pro Bowl.

Still, the emergence of 2023 rookie running back Jaylen Warren has got the two sharing reps, so there is a perfect chance Steelers general manager Omar Khan doesn’t want to have to pay Harris next season since Warren could take over the backfield this season.