Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is one of the next generation data storage technologies that aims to increase the areal data density to beyond 1 TB/in2. Near-field transducer (NFT), which is a type of plasmonic nanoscale antenna, is a key component of the HAMR system. The laser in an HAMR system typically operates in the near infrared wavelength range between 700-900 nm. We explore the plasmonic behavior and performance of a number of NFTs at longer wavelength of 1550 nm. The different plasmonic modes in the NFTs at different wavelengths are analyzed, and the correlation of the NFT performance with variations in the geometrical design is investigated. Thermal performances of NFT are also studied and compared with the thermal performances when NFTs are operated near 800 nm. It is found that there is a significant improvement in the figures of merit when using longer wavelengths and this can provide an important strategy to realize higher performance data storage devices. © 1965-2012 IEEE.