Arthur Smith spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee running back Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in each of those years, and he produced the eighth 2,000-yard rushing performance in Smith’s second season.

After three years as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, Smith is preparing for his first season as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. In Pittsburgh, Smith will be working with running back Najee Harris in the 2024 season.

Like Henry, Harris is a big ball-carrier who earned All-American accolades for a CFP national-championship team at Alabama. He also is entering his fourth NFL season, just as Henry was when Smith became the Titans’ offensive coordinator.

Unlike Henry, who served as a backup his first two NFL seasons before posting 1,059 rushing yards in his third, Harris has reached 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons — the 18th player in NFL history to do so.

RELATED: NAJEE HARRIS, DERRICK HENRY ADD TO ALABAMA’S NFL RUSHING MILESTONES

While Smith and Harris appear a good pairing, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said he hasn’t made a decision concerning the running back’s future in Pittsburgh.

After joining the Steelers as the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Harris signed a four-year contract for $13.047 million. As with the contract of all first-round selections, Harris’ deal carried a team option for a fifth season.

Pittsburgh must use its option for the 2025 season by May 2. If the Steelers pick it up, they’ll guarantee a $6.79 million payday for Harris in 2025.

“We have until the first week in May to make a decision,” Khan told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday. “We have a new offensive coordinator, so that’s going to play into the decision-making process. We’re having conversations with Arthur. It’s been great. We’ve been engaging frequently — coach (Mike) Tomlin and Arthur and I. We’ve kind of been talking about the offense and what the vision is for it.

“And we think very highly of Najee, and we’ll make the decision before May 2.”

Pittsburgh has two other avenues to keep Harris out of free agency after the 2024 season if it doesn’t exercise its option.

Because he’s played three seasons, Harris is eligible for a contract extension any time before the start of the NFL’s 2025 business year in March 2025.

If that doesn’t happen either, the Steelers could use their franchise tag on the running back next offseason. The value of the non-exclusive franchise tag for running backs this offseason is $11.951 million.

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.