Mark Madden: Steelers have bigger issues than Najee Harris' 5th-year option

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]

The Najee Harris situation is being blown out of proportion. Like all situations involving the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Not picking up Harris' fifth-year option wasn't a good decision or a bad one. It was a meh decision involving a meh player.

Harris still will be a Steeler this coming season. He's playing for his next contract, be it in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, so he won't tank or pout. (Probably not.)

The Steelers will have failed if Harris leaves after the season, and they can't easily replace him.

The Steelers failed, to some degree, by drafting Harris 24th in 2021's first round. He was the first running back selected, like Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback picked in 2022. Those drafts were weak at those positions, and the Steelers proved it.

The Steelers haven't had a first-round pick hit properly since T.J. Watt in 2017. (It's too early to celebrate Broderick Jones, last year's first-round selection.)

That's where the Steelers have failed. Not by failing to pick up Harris' fifth-year option. He's small potatoes.

The Steelers must agree: Harris' fifth-year option would have cost $6.7 million. Not exactly quarterback money.

It's said decent running backs are easy to get. But the Steelers haven't necessarily proven that: Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels, etc.

The Steelers will have failed badly if they don't get a No. 2 wideout. They have nothing resembling one.

That's the big story, not least because it reflects the Steelers' zealous commitment to the run and their failure to recognize that, in 2024, that's not going to beat a good quarterback in a playoff game.

The Steelers properly addressed the offensive line in the draft.

They're still weak at cornerback. But they have lots of playmakers throughout their defense.

Should they have taken a receiver in the second round, then tried to get by at center with Nate Herbig? That might turn out to be a good question.

Tyler Boyd isn't the answer. Zay Jones isn't the answer.

Right now, the Steelers might have the NFL's worst group of pass-catchers.

But don't worry: The Steelers are going to trade for Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, either of whom would doubtless love to ditch the high-tech world of San Francisco's offense and step into something more prehistoric.

Ex-Steeler Bryant McFadden has a podcast. (Of course, he does.) McFadden said the Steelers were on the verge of adding "a significant playmaker." But GM Omar Khan debunked that.

McFadden later said, basically, he made the whole thing up. He got legit media scurrying to check with their sources, but McFadden had no sources. He said he spoke with a "third or fourth party," whatever that means.

That's what happens when ex-jocks with no background in journalism grab an unsupervised platform. It's playtime for somebody like McFadden. He should never be taken seriously again.

The Steelers story nobody wants to talk about is Cam Heyward's contract.

Heyward is scheduled to make $16 million in 2024 with a cap hit of $22.4 million.

Heyward missed six games last season. He wasn't great when he did play. Heyward had surgery in February to repair groin and core muscle injuries.

It makes sense for the Steelers to ask Heyward to take a significant pay cut. He turns 35 Monday and is damaged goods.

But Heyward won't do that.

Heyward has a podcast. (Of course, he does.) On it, Heyward said, "Screw the people who keep talking about me getting a pay cut."

Maybe a compromise could be reached via voidable years.

But it's more likely the Steelers will cave and pay Heyward what he's owed on his current contract. Every nickel.

That's the wrong move. If the Steelers cut Franco Harris, they can cut Heyward.

Sure, Heyward is a beloved figure who has contributed mightily to the Steelers. Multiply that by 10, and you have what Harris did.

The Steelers are a soft organization. As evidenced by every player winning his hold-in. None is scheduled for this year, thank heaven.