Running back Najee Harris completed his fourth regular season with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Like the previous three years, the former Alabama All-American finished 2024 with more than 1,000 rushing yards, becoming the 14th player to do so in each of his first four NFL seasons.

As he did in his first three seasons, Harris started every game for the Steelers in 2024. No other running back has played 17 games annually since 2021, let alone every single one.

In his four seasons, Harris ranked sixth on the Steelers’ all-time rushing list. But despite his performance, Harris may not get a chance to climb any further up the regular season charts.

During the offseason, Pittsburgh had the opportunity to secure Harris for 2025 by exercising his fifth season option on his rookie contract, which he signed after going to the Steelers with the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The season would have cost Pittsburgh $6.97 million.

The Steelers declined, meaning that as the playoffs ended for Pittsburgh, Harris’ career with the team would also end. If the Steelers do not sign him to a contract extension by March 12, Harris will become an unrestricted free agent.

Pittsburgh’s postseason exit could come as soon as Saturday evening. The Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens in a first-round AFC playoff game on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CST at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

“Soak?” Harris said Thursday about that possibility. “Shoot, man, this is a deal. This is obviously a manufacturing business. All you can do is: I’ve found myself in situations where you have to make the most of your options. And I mean, whatever that is, it is, and if you can say you did your best, that’s all you can do.

“Do you want to change something? Yes. Would you have wanted to do some things better? Yes. But sometimes people are just faced with certain situations and you just have to make the best of it. It really is.”

For Harris, the focus is not on the possibility of his final game for Pittsburgh, but on the chance of his first playoff win with the Steelers.

“I’m looking for my first one, so it’s important,” Harris said.

In Harris’ previous playoff appearances, Pittsburgh lost in first-round games to the Kansas City Chiefs 42-21 on January 16, 2022 and to the Buffalo Bills 31-17 on January 15, 2024.

Harris said he’s “a lot more confident” about the Steelers’ chances this postseason. And that despite Pittsburgh entering the playoffs with a four-game losing streak.

“We have to take care of the ball,” Harris said of the lesson of the last four games. “It’s important to take care of the ball. Execute our plays – do little tasks and get back to our winning football.”