PITTSBURGH — Like everybody else — including, quite obviously, the Steelers — my opinion on Najee Harris fluctuates.

If the Steelers did not offer Harris a fifth-year option because they wanted to see how his style meshed with new coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme, that's easily defensible.

Harris also plays an understandably undervalued position. The 21st Century NFL shows beyond a reasonable doubt that running backs can be found in abundance and that you don't need a star runner to win championships.

That, plus the high attrition rate, is why people don't pay backs the big bucks.

History also shows that a running back's statistical peak normally occurs from ages 22-28, and Harris is low-key about to turn 27 in March. The following study shows that 84.1% of all peak seasons from running backs occur within that time frame and that just 5.4% of peak seasons occur at 29 (you don't want to see what happens to running backs after they turn 30).

Did I mention that in just 59 games, Harris has accumulated 1,131 touches and absorbed more hits than YouTube.com?

Point is, I don't think teams are going line up and throw huge money at Harris should he hit free agency, even if he is coming off a career-best season. There'd be interest, for sure, but I'd happily bet that whatever Harris finds in free agency would not knock the Steelers' budget out of whack.

Which brings us to something we can all agree on: Harris is playing the best football of his career. The eye test tells you. Watch him run. He carries a streak of three consecutive 100-yard games — a career high — into the game Sunday against the Washington Commanders. He is breaking longer runs. He simply looks more dangerous, more consistently.

The stats back up those ideas, as well.

If you prefer conventional numbers, Harris is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, by far his highest. The advanced stats tell you he is averaging 2.4 yards after contact, easily the best mark of his career. He also is tied for third in the league in runs of 20 yards or longer, with four (although I bet you didn't know he finished tied for fourth in that category last season, with only one fewer 20-plus runs than Christian McCaffrey).

Two years ago, Harris had precisely one run of at least 20 yards, and I have always claimed that for years he led the league in a stat I invented: Hits Absorbed (HA). I have never seen a running back with more defensive helmets on him than Harris would routinely have. It sometimes seemed like all 11 guys would get a crack at him on a single tote.

Harris is not a home-run hitter and never will be. That is what separates the McCaffreys, Saquon Barkleys and Derrick Henrys of the world. But it looks to me like he can be a viable and very good runner for at least a few more years.

Sure, the Steelers also have a viable and very good replacement, potentially, in Jaylen Warren — and he'll need a new contract, too — but isn't it preferable to have a two-headed monster at that position if you're going to be a run-first team? Doesn't that give you an advantage on most opponents?

Just because running backs are plentiful doesn't mean they're interchangeable. Give me two good ones.

Maybe this falls into the luxury category, but the Steelers might have luxury money to spend because they still won't be paying premium dollars at the quarterback position. Russell Wilson, should he continue to thrive, will command a nice deal, but it's not going to be elite quarterback money.

All of which means the Steelers can and should offer Harris an extension. Besides his ascent as a runner, he offers the kind of work ethic that every player should emulate. He's an absolute maniac on the field and has, from all indications, been a good sport about the declined option.

Indeed, Harris is the kind of homegrown player — productive, highly competitive, well-respected — that the Steelers have traditionally rewarded.

A reader posited in colleague Gerry Dulac's weekly chat the idea of a three-year, $24 million deal for Harris and wondered which side might say no to that. Dulac said the Steelers, but he also mentioned that it has always been his belief that the sides would reach a deal this offseason.

They should — and those numbers seem ballpark-reasonable to me. By all means, bring back a highly productive running back at less than you're paying Larry Ogunjobi this season.

It takes two sides, of course, and maybe Harris prefers another destination or believes he'll hit the running back lottery. All it takes is one team. Interestingly, though, in his first media session after the Steelers declined his option, he expressed a desire to stay.

This is a guy who's never been shy about expressing his feelings, and while I didn't expect him to start ripping people, I also didn't expect him to say, "Yeah, most definitely," when asked if he'd like to stay longer term.

He added: "I like it here in Pittsburgh. I like Coach T, Mr. Rooney, Omar. ... It's a good city. Obviously, the people here are nice and welcoming. But, you know, it's a business. It comes and goes."

It'll go soon enough, especially at that position, but Harris remains smack in the middle of his prime. He's getting better. He won't break the bank.

If the idea was to see if he'd fit Smith's scheme, the answer is a resounding yes.

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