The Pittsburgh Steelers had an easy opportunity this offseason to lock up running back Najee Harris for the 2025 NFL season. The NFL team passed on it.

But Steelers general manager Omar Khan said that didn’t necessarily mean the former Alabama All-American would not be with Pittsburgh past the 2024 campaign.

“It was a business decision that we had to make, I think, by May 2,” Khan said during an appearance on Thursday on KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh. “But Najee’s awesome to have around here. Love Najee as a player and a person. Just because we didn’t pick it up doesn’t exclude us from doing something with Najee for the long-term. I’d love to say Najee was here and had a long career in Pittsburgh. He really represents us well on the field and off the field. But it was just one of those things we had to make a decision on. We just felt right now that was the right decision for everyone. But I love Najee and would love to have him here long-term.”

The 24th selection of the 2021 NFL Draft, Harris joined the Steelers on a four-year, $13.047 million contract. 

Each first-round draft pick signs a four-year contract that carries a team option for a fifth season. But that option must be exercised before the player’s fourth season. For the 2021 first-rounders, the deadline to do so passed at 3 p.m. CDT May 2.

While tying Harris to Pittsburgh for an extra season, the fifth-year option would have guaranteed Harris a salary of $6.79 million for the 2025 campaign. That’s the average of the third- through 20th-highest salaries for running backs over the past five seasons.

Harris will be paid $2.439 million in 2024, which ranks 30th among running backs this season.

Khan was asked during his radio appearance how Harris received the news of the Steelers declining the option.

“I’ll keep the conversation between the two of us,” Khan said, “but I’ll just say he knows just because we’re going into this with one year left doesn’t prevent us from doing business long-term.”

Khan was asked for Harris’ reaction because the running back has not shared it. During Pittsburgh’s three-day mandatory minicamp this week, Harris declined all interview requests. Although at minicamp, Harris was not an active participant in the practices.

“Not anything that’s going to be an issue whatsoever regarding health,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on Wednesday when asked if Harris had a problem that prevented him from practicing. “You guys know my approach, man. Cam Heyward didn’t take any snaps today either is another example of it. I know a lot about some of those guys; I know less about some of these others. And so I like to focus my energy on those that are working and not those that are moving out of the way at times.”

A defensive lineman who has played 13 seasons with Pittsburgh, Heyward is entering the final season of his contract and had stayed away from the Steelers’ offseason program until this week while angling for an extension.

Pittsburgh completed its offseason program on Thursday. The team will gather again when the players report for training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on July 24.

In 2023, Harris became the 18th player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. Harris has 834 rushing attempts for 3,269 yards and 22 touchdowns and 144 receptions for 866 yards and six touchdowns during his NFL career.

Only three other players in NFL history have had as many rushing yards and receptions as Harris in their first three seasons — Pro Football Hall of Fame members Edgerrin James and LaDainian Tomlinson and former Auburn standout William Andrews.

A two-time 1,000-yard rusher for Alabama, Harris earned unanimous All-American recognition, won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back and set an SEC single-season touchdown record for the Crimson Tide’s unbeaten CFP national-championship team in 2020.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.