NFL Rumors: Steelers "very much interested" in $36,600,000 RB with Najee Harris' potential exit in free agency

Najee Harris, despite his four straight thousand-yard seasons, is said to be looking increasingly likely to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers. But according to a well-versed insider, they are looking to execute a very shrewd intradivisional heist to fill the hole that he will leave behind.

On Wednesday, 93.7 The Fan's Andrew Filipponi reported that the team was "very much interested" in luring Nick Chubb away from the Cleveland Browns.

Chubb has had four straight thousand-yard seasons and will be a free agent. He had just 332 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in the 2024 season, having returned from a horrific 2023 knee injury in Week 8.

Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, meanwhile, had a different notion of the Steelers' solution, foreseeing them nabbing Ashton Jeanty 21st overall in his latest mock draft:

"The Steelers spent the past two drafts beefing up their offensive line. Now they land a top-five player in the class to run behind it."

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Insider believes Najee Harris will remain a Steeler

There is at least one person who still believes in the continuation of the Najee Harris era: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac. Earlier this month, he had explained why "the chances are better that he returns than not," despite the non-invocation of the fifth-year option on his rookie deal:

"Maybe he's not a game-breaker or difference-maker. And maybe he could use a little better vision sometimes. But the guy has never missed a game despite the pounding he takes... Productive and durable, that's a pretty good combo."

He opined that there was a "strong possibility" that the Steelers would extend him for anywhere between $7 and $10 million annually for two or three years, following the lead of Zaven Collins and Daniel Jones - players who were denied the fifth-year options on their rookie contracts, only to sign multi-year extensions.

He also posited a reason for such a continuation: Harris is a favorite of head coach Mike Tomlin, given his bruising style. On Wednesday, Dulac reiterated that notion:

"There's a decent chance that could happen, especially if (Tomlin) gets his way."

One of the teams linked to Harris, should he leave, is the Las Vegas Raiders, who were the worst rushing team in 2024 at just 98.7 yards per game. Maxx Crosby teased such a possibility on the latest episode of his podcast "The Rush," saying that he would "love to have a guy like (him) around" and that “he could come to Vegas all day.”