The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely rely heavily on the services of Jaylen Warren following the decision last offseason not to exercise the fifth-year option on running back Najee Harris.
With Jaylen Warren expected to remain with the team, he will need a tender to stay with the team. The allotted amounts for tenders for the coming season were released this week, and the Steelers will now know how much they will have to pay Warren for his services in the coming season.
"I'm confident we're going to tender him and be in a position where Jaylen is gonna be here," general manager Omar Khan said about Warren at the NFL Combine.
The Steelers will get to choose between two tender options for Warren, coming in at different specifications and price points. The two are the right-of-refusal tender as well as the second round tender.
The cheaper of the two options, the right-of-refusal tender, would cost the Steelers just $3.263 million. If Warren is subsequently signed by another team, the Steelers would not be eligbile to receive any compensation for that move.
On the other hand, the second round tender offers them compensation if Warren is signed by another organization. Coming in at $5.346 million, this tender would mean that the Steelers would receive a second-round pick as compensation if another team were to sign Warren. This option is seen as a better one for the team, as Warren would be unlikely to garner that second-round pick, leading to a higher chance of them keeping him on the team.
Warren has notched 6 rushing touchdowns and 1,674 yards in 48 games as a Steeler, but has spent much of his time with the team backing up Harris. Warren will likely get an opportunity to prove himself in the coming season, as a deal to have Harris return seems quite unlikely due to them intially turning down his fifth-year option.
