Steelers' Najee Harris Sends Furious Twitter Rant Regarding Disrespect

When the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the "Killer B" era, they were nearly unstoppable. With Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers possessed one of the top offenses in the league. A huge component of their success stemmed from the running game. Bell had a unique style of running and consistently dominated the league during his tenure with the team spanning from 2013-2017.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. After years of putting up top numbers, Bell wanted to be paid accordingly. The dispute began in 2017 when Bell was placed on the franchise tag at a value of $12.1 million. Though not what he wanted, Bell understood and played the season. In 2017, the running back earned Pro Bowl honors with another standout season comprised of 1,291 yards on 321 carries and nine touchdowns.

The utmost priority for the Steelers was coming to an agreement with Bell prior to the 2018 season. Though the front office was prepared to pay $14 million, Bell wanted $15 million and argued that he was a dual-threat both in the running and passing game. When the Steelers once again attempted to franchise tag him, he felt absolutely disrespected and in return, held out for the entirety of the 2018 season. This marked the end of Bell's historic career in Pittsburgh.

Only recently did Bell reveal that a huge component of his holdout was the guaranteed money. With only one year guaranteed of his contract and given the amount of carries he was taking, he didn't feel secure enough if he were to get injured. This is one of the harsh realities for a running back in the NFL. Nearly no other position in the game experiences the constant contact that running backs do, which often results in shorter careers. With that, running backs are typically at the peak of their game for a shorter period of time. Receivers, on the other hand, can perform at the top of their game for years and are paid significantly more.

The Steelers drafted Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After years of James Conner spearheading the running game and often times getting injured, the Steelers sought out a new solution. Harris was a standout performer at the University of Alabama and he was able to hit the ground running in Pittsburgh. Since his arrival, Harris has been heavily depended on. In 2021, the running back took on the second-most carries in the league with 307. 

Though Bell's contract dispute was in 2018, this issue is still prominent today. This offseason, there were multiple big time deals in store for running backs in the league. Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys were all due for new deals. None of the them were able to secure a long-term deal, forcing them to play on the franchise tag. 

Steelers' Najee Harris Voices His Opinion

With top running backs not given the deals or respect that they deserve, players are beginning to voice their opinions on Twitter. Noteworthy backs like Austin Ekeler, Christian McCaffery, Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry have all spoken out on the matter. Monday, Harris made his stance clear on Twitter.

"I agree with my running back brothers around the NFL. History will show that you need running backs to win. We set the tone every game and run through walls for our team and lead in many ways. This notion that we deserve less is a joke."

With so many running backs around the league enraged, it'll be interesting to see how this continues to play out. Of the three running backs who didn't receive deals, only Pollard signed the franchise tag. Barkley and Jacobs could hold out similarly to Bell in 2018.

What do you think happens next, Steeler Nation? Will this start a bigger conversation around the pay and treatment of running backs? Should the Steelers prepare to sign Harris to a long-term deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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