Making a decision on Najee Harris’ fifth-year option was never going to be easy, and it appears the Pittsburgh Steelers need more time. Steelers general manager Omar Khan spoke with the media on Thursday to provide some insight into their process.

“We have until the first week in May to make a decision,” was the key takeaway from Khan’s comments. Taking as much time as they can is the right course of action here, considering there is a new offensive coordinator on their staff.

Speaking of their new offensive coordinator, Khan stated that conversations have taken place with Arthur Smith. “We’ve been engaging frequently, and coach Tomlin and Arthur and I, we’ve kind of been talking about the offense and what the vision is for it.”. This type of collaborative effort is exactly what the Steelers need at this juncture. It is absolutely crucial for everyone to be on the same page. Not only for how they want to run the offense but the personnel required. Whether or not Harris is part of that equation will be figured out in the coming weeks.

Harris has rushed for over 1,000 yards and at least seven touchdowns in each of his first three seasons. While Harris has been a key component of their rushing attack during his time in Pittsburgh, his involvement in the passing game has significantly decreased. Harris caught 74 passes as a rookie and only 70 in the previous two seasons combined. While he may not reach that number again with Jaylen Warren establishing himself last season, getting more out of Harris in the passing game is an absolute must moving forward.