Steelers announce the signing of first round pick Najee Harris

The Pittsburgh Steelers are making some serious headway on getting their 2021 NFL Draft class under contact. With Phase III of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) underway in Pittsburgh, it seemed like a good time to get some of the remaining rookies who haven’t signed yet to sign on the dotted line.

If I’m being completely honest, it seemed as if they were working in reverse order, and that would put the team’s top pick Najee Harris the last to sign his contract. It makes sense. See what Kendrick Green and Pat Freiermuth get, as well as other first round picks, in terms of contract structure, then sign your deal.

However, on Tuesday the Steelers announced Harris has signed his contract.

With Harris now under contract, it means there are just two of the nine drafted players who have yet to sign their deals. Those players would be:

Round 2: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Round 3: Kendrick Green, C/G, Illinois

Based on the reported salary cap cost for each draft pick, their exact signing bonus can be estimated. So here are those numbers for Harris, specifically using overthecap.com. The calculated signing bonus is determined by taking the 2021 salary cap number, subtracting the $660k base salary, and multiplying by four as the cap hit will be spread out over the four years of the contract.

Najee Harris

2021 salary cap number: $2,372,268
Calculated signing bonus: $6,849,072

Keep in mind that even though the Steelers will have a fifth-year option on Harris when the time comes, his signing bonus is not prorated into that year since it is not a guarantee.

With OTAs ongoing for the next few weeks, it would be expected the last two rookies will sign their deals before mandatory minicamp takes place at the end of June. Either way, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the 2021 regular season.