LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Najee Harris didn’t have to talk. There are ways to escape the media, but either because he wanted to get his point out or felt obligated because of the news, Harris spoke about the pay scale for running backs.
After a question about this year’s team, Harris was asked about the situation that has become a big topic nationally. The third-year back first wanted to say that what his views have nothing to do with the Steelers, Omar Khan, Art Rooney or Mike Tomlin. He also wouldn’t address is situation directly, he has one more year after this on his contract, then the Steelers hold a fifth-year option and then can franchise him in the sixth year.
Harris said it’s sad to him to see that they are devaluing the running back position. Harris believes the league (owners) is choosing when to devalue the running back, saying they count on them at times to close games, to lean on them to run, catch or block, but not pay them for accounting for 30% of the offense. He said there are numerous teams, Cleveland, Tennessee, San Francisco and the Steelers that count on running backs.
“We're always doing something, I mean, only time when they choose to say that it's devalued is when it's time to pay the running back, you know?” Harris said Wednesday. “So they're really choosing when to say to devalue the position. They just want to play a running back. So, for us to see that, you know, and 17 games they are asking us to do this and this and this. You know, it's not once did we say, I thought the running back don't matter.”
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“You know, we don't want to say that, our job is to do that. So, we know that's our job. And, we run to that.”
Harris continued that when it’s time to be paid, they aren’t compensated for their performance. The former Alabama star said owners forget about their value when it’s time to be paid and it’s not right.
He admits as a position group, they do not have a lot of leverage because what they are being asked to do on the field is clearly their job description. Just in his third season, Harris is getting a crash course in the reality of the business of the NFL.
“If something happens in the game, they're going to, you know, probably look somewhere else,” Harris said. “But it's like, what is the security that we have? We don't have no security right now. You guys are using us to accomplish what you guys want. And then when it's time for us to re-up our ask for something that we think is right, you guys just turn the cheek and say, well, you have you have wear and tear. It's like, come on, now. We're like, you know what you're trying to do? You're trying to utilize us as much as you can get, as much as you can out of us for cheap.”
I don’t think there has been dispute this is what is going on, but the current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement runs until 2030. What are running backs going to do? He realizes there is no pressure for teams to change how they treat backs. He hopes that addressing the issue now creates awareness.
Is he optimistic is could change?
“I mean you can hope,” Harris said. “You will always hope the best, but I mean, like I said, knowing our position and what they ask us to do, I don't know. The only thing we can do is just do the best we can each year to perform and play at a good rate where, you know, they probably could some teams could probably see something different. But, you know, that's one thing I control. Control What you can control. And what I can control is how I perform on the field. And, you know, just hope the best.”
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