Steelers Front Office Will Be Split On The Pair Of Fifth-Year Decisions That Are Looming

The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan have two very important decisions to make during the 2024 offseason. The team now rosters two players that were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields and Najee Harris, which means a decision needs to be made about the fifth-year option on their rookie contracts. Each players option is valued differently, based on the position, playing time, and Pro-Bowl invites. Once a fifth-year option is picked up by an organization it is fully guaranteed to the player.

Thankfully for Pittsburgh, once these two decisions are made they won't have to worry about fifth-year options for a while, as they traded their 2022 first-round pick, Kenny Pickett, to the Philadelphia Eagles. Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus recently broke down all 32 first-round picks from the 2021 NFL Draft who will have their fifth-year options being decided on during the 2024 offseason. Spielberger discussed the performance of these players, and whether or not it makes sense to pick up their option. Harris' fifth-year option is valued at $6.79 million, and Spielberger believes the Steelers should exercise the option.

"Harris is a solid all-around player who can block for the team's new quarterback duo, catch the ball out of the backfield with confident hands and run very hard between the tackles. How he fits with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith remains to be seen, and he should cede more and more snaps to Jaylen Warren going forward, but not so much so to make declining the fifth-year option the move here for Pittsburgh."

Harris has been unfairly scrutinized throughout his career in Pittsburgh. He has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in all three seasons and he had his highest average yards per carry in 2023. He is a reliable blocker and pass catcher, he has also started all 53 games of his career, never missing one for injury. The Steelers are lucky the price of his fifth-year option is only $6.7 million since he made the Pro-Bowl in 2021. Luckily, he made it as an alternate, so the value of his option did not increase to $9.7 million like it would if he had made without players opting out. 

It should be a no brainer to pick up Harris' option. The Steelers are welcoming in a new offensive coordinator for the 2024 season, Arthur Smith, who is known for running a run-heavy, quarterback-friendly offense. He was a big reason for Derrick Henry's success with the Tennessee Titans, and now, he gets another Alabama running back in Harris. 

Steelers Should Look At Alternatives To The Fifth-Year Option For Fields

Fields fifth-year option is a much different decision for the front office. Fields was just acquired by Pittsburgh, and is expected to be the backup to Russell Wilson for the 2024 season. Wilson is only under contract for the 2024 season with Pittsburgh, and Fields has shown a lot of upside thus far in his career that has made some believe he could be a franchise quarterback for the Steelers. 

Putting all the hopes that Fields can succeed in Pittsburgh and be the starting quarterback for many years to come aside, his fifth-year option is valued at $25.6 million. This is far too much for an unproved guy that is expected to ride the pine in 2024, Spielberger discusses alternatives to the fifth-year option that could be better for Fields and the organization.

"Fields can potentially supplant Russell Wilson as the starter in 2024, after which Pittsburgh may be able to sign him to something of a bridge-type deal, franchise-tag him or extend him to a major contract. That outcome is more expensive than the option — potentially exponentially so — but it's worth avoiding the downside risk of exercising the option and things not panning out quite as well."

Jordan Love, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, was in a similar situation to Fields. He sat behind Aaron Rodgers for the majority of his career, so the organization couldn't justify using the fifth-year option on him. Instead, he signed an extension with a lower amount of guaranteed money that had many incentives included that would allow him to earn extra cash. These include playing time, teams wins, playoff wins, and being near the top of the league in statistical passing categories. 

This is probably the best option for Pittsburgh and Fields, and a deal like this probably won't get done until they see Fields in action during training camp. If the team wants him to be the quarterback of the future, there is certainly a way to get it done.