Najee Harris

Chargers To Activate RB Najee Harris

August 26th, 2025 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Najee Harris‘ recovery has progressed to the point he will be moved off the active/NFI list. Rather than stashing the free agency addition on the reserve/PUP list — which would require a four-game absence — the Chargers are moving him to their 53-man roster, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.

Sustaining injuries in a fireworks accident July 4, Harris has not practiced fully. This activation does not guarantee Harris will be ready for Week 1, but the Chargers’ decision points to an early-season debut.

While a rumor last week indicated Harris could begin the season on the reserve/NFI list, GM Joe Hortiz did not rule out Week 1. Teams do not have to release injury reports until Week 1, though the Chargers’ season-opening Brazil tilt — against the Chiefs next Friday — will provide earlier clarity on the running back’s status.

Harris has ramped up his side workouts at Bolts practice, though concern has naturally emerged about the state of his injured eye. The four-year Steelers starter was an ironman on his rookie contract, not missing any time while racking up four straight 1,000-yard seasons. The fireworks injury will threaten to end the former first-rounder’s streak. Next week’s practice reports will be telling.

The Bolts added some protection in Omarion Hampton, who is poised to be the team’s Week 1 starter and long-term option behind/alongside Justin Herbert. The Chargers minimized Harris’ place on the team when they used the No. 22 overall pick on Hampton, who can be kept on his rookie contract through 2029 via the fifth-year option. Harris is tied to a one-year, $5.25MM deal. And the July setback clouds his role with his new team and his chances of upping his free agency stock for a 2026 bid.

Chargers RB Najee Harris Could Start Year On NFI List

August 23rd, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

AUGUST 23: No decision has been made yet on Harris’ status, but general manager Joe Hortiz said on Saturday (via Popper) Week 1 is still in play in this case. The Chargers will need to move Harrison to the NFI list by Tuesday afternoon unless they feel he will be available within the first four weeks of the season. Based on Hortiz’s comments, a spot on the active roster should now be expected.

AUGUST 16: Chargers running back Najee Harris could start the regular season on the non-football injury list as he continues his recovery from a fireworks-related eye injury, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Harris has returned to the practice field, but not practice itself. He made some progress this week, but at too slow a pace to be ready for Week 1. In addition to his physical rehab, he also has to make the mental adjustment to a new offense, which may be harder if his vision is still impaired in any way.

Unless Harris takes significant steps towards a return in the first few weeks of the season, putting him on the NFI list might be the Chargers’ best option. It would open up another roster spot and give Harris a longer runway to get back to 100% before retaking the field.

If Harris is sidelined to start the year, Chargers first-round pick Omarion Hampton could surge into a true bellcow workload. The next two running backs on the depth chart, Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal, combined for just 244 yards on 77 carries in 2024. Both will make the 53-man roster as backfield depth and contributors on special teams, but neither seems to offer enough offensive upside to take snaps away from Hampton.

The Chargers could opt to carry another running back to replace Harris on the roster. Undrafted rookie Raheim Sanders has impressed in the preseason, per Popper, giving him a leg up on comeback veteran Nyheim Miller-Hines and former Commanders UDFA Jaret Patterson.

Chargers RB Najee Harris Making Progress

August 13th, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Najee Harris is not yet off the Chargers’ active/NFI list, a training camp-only designation that emerged after the running back sustained an unspecified eye injury in a fireworks accident July 4. But the free agency addition is ramping up his workload.

The former first-round pick’s recovery has progressed to side drills at Chargers practice, ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim reports. This comes after Harris was only walking laps with a helmet and a weighted vest leading up to Tuesday’s side-field work. A player who did not suffer a lower-body injury only being given the green light to walk laps at an NFL practice points to a long recovery road, and the Chargers are not confirming the four-year Steelers starter will be ready for Week 1.

Jim Harbaugh has been coy with injury statuses since he returned to the NFL, but teams do not have to issue injury reports until Week 1. The Chargers will have a choice to shift Harris to the reserve/NFI list when setting their 53-man roster August 26 or to go week-to-week, saving a roster spot for a player they have a one-year, $5.25MM deal.

Greg Roman said Harris not being ready for Week 1 — a scenario Harbaugh’s vague remarks have also tabbed as realistic — would feature first-rounder Omarion Hampton rotating with a to-be-determined back. Roman said (via Rhim) a Hampton 1-B back in a non-Harris scenario features a “wide open” competition.

The Bolts have Kimani Vidal held over from their Ravens-centric 2024 backfield, and they claimed Hassan Haskins off waivers from the Titans last August. Ex-Commanders UDFA Jaret Patterson is also rostered, and the team included South Carolina’s Raheim Sanders in its UDFA class. The team also signed Nyheim Miller-Hines, the former Colts and Bills option who has missed the past two seasons because of a severe injury sustained in a 2023 jet ski accident.

Harris’ agent has said the fifth-year veteran suffered a “superficial eye injury,” while GM Joe Hortiz called it a surface-level injury earlier this summer. An August 6 Instagram photo, however, showed Harris’ left eye shut. Harbaugh, however, confirmed the running back can open that eye. We will not have much clarity on this situation until the Chargers either remove Harris from their active/NFI list or shift him to the reserve/NFI list later this month. The latter scenario, as is the case with an IR or PUP stash, would require a four-game absence to open the season.

Chargers Unsure Of RB Najee Harris’ Return Date

August 8th, 2025 at 9:05pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was noncommittal when asked on Friday about Najee Harris‘ return timeline.

The fifth-year running back is recovering from an eye injury suffered in a Fourth of July fireworks mishap. He started training camp on the non-football injury list and has yet to take the practice field this summer.

Harbaugh said (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that “there’s a chance” Harris is ready for the team’s regular season opener against the Chiefs.

“I don’t comment because I’m not a doctor,” said Harbaugh, something he frequently says when asked about injuries, per Rhim. Harris and the Chargers have played his injury close to the chest, in large part because it happened away from the football field. The damage to Harris’ eye was initially called “superficial” by his agent with the expectation that he would be ready for the regular season.

However, the fifth-year running back stirred additional concern posted a picture on social media earlier this week in which his left eye appears to be swollen shut. Harbaugh said that Harris can open his eye, but obviously, two fully-functioning eyes are crucial for a ballcarrier’s field vision.

As long as Harris is out, first-round pick Omarion Hampton will likely take on a bigger and bigger role in the offense. The Chargers also have a number of running backs who could receive more touches early in the regular season if Harris is still getting back to 100%.

Chargers Place RB Najee Harris On NFI List

July 17th, 2025 at 11:10am CST by Sam Robinson

JULY 17: As expected, Harris will indeed open camp on the active/NFI list. The Chargers officially moved him to the list on Thursday. Further clarity on his recovery timeline will likely come about once the team’s staff evaluates the extent of the injury.

JULY 16: Najee Harris‘ injury sustained in a fireworks accident will delay his start to Chargers training camp. Although the free agency addition is expected to begin the season on time, his work with his new team is on hold.

The Chargers are expected to place Harris on their NFI list, GM Joe Hortiz said (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper). Harris will land on Los Angeles’ active/NFI list, a training camp-only designation. The Chargers do not need to decide on a reserve/NFI list placement — which requires a four-game absence — for more than a month.

The former Steelers 1,000-yard back has never missed a game as a pro, and early expectations point to that durability persisting into Year 5. Harris suffered an eye injury earlier this month and has been receiving treatment at Stanford, Popper adds. He will soon begin working with Chargers doctors at the team facility. That said, Hortiz added (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) neither he nor the team’s medical staff have seen the extent of Harris’ injury.

“Surface-level injury,” Hortiz said, via Rhim. “Obviously around the eye, so I’m sure there’s bruising and all that. We haven’t seen him, so we’ll get more clarity when he gets in here and our doctors see him.”

An NFI stay to open camp would cover this issue, as Harris was injured in a non-football activity. The active/PUP list covers football-related health issues heading into camp; Harris has not seen any of those keep him off the field as a pro. Harris was 68-for-68 in regular-season attendance in Pittsburgh, playing in all the Steelers’ playoff games during this period as well. He delivered four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, splitting time with Jaylen Warren for much of his tenure.

Even as Harris proved reliable in Pittsburgh, the former first-rounder never posted a 1,200-yard rushing season and did not command a big market. The Chargers added him on a one-year deal that included $5.25MM in base value. They then used a first-round pick on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, the consensus second-best back in the draft. Harris’ placement on the active/NFI list will give Hampton more time to work with the Chargers’ first-stringers. Veterans reported to Bolts camp Wednesday.

Chargers RB Najee Harris Injured In Fireworks Incident

July 14th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

July 14: Harris avoided a significant injury, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but he may not be ready for the start of Chargers training camp on Thursday. Rapoport said that Harris “will be on the field sooner rather than later,” adding that his availability for the start of the season is not under question.

Missing a few early practices is unlikely to affect Harris’ status in the Chargers’ running back room, but it will afford Hampton the opportunity to take RB1 reps in his absence.

July 10: Chargers running back Najee Harris was injured during a Fourth of July fireworks accident, according to Rick Hurd, Nate Gartrell, and Darren Sabedra of The Mercury News. The running back’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, released a statement assuring that his client only suffered superficial injuries and will be good to go for the 2025 campaign.

“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Hendrickson said in his statement (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”

There were a handful of recent online rumors surrounding Harris and a fireworks incident. Fortunately, many of those rumblings proved to be overblown, as the veteran RB apparently managed to avoid a serious injury. According to The Mercury News, other individuals were hurt in the accident, although the severity of those injuries hasn’t been revealed.

Of course, any fireworks incident will bring back memories of Jason Pierre-Paul, who suffered a serious hand injury during a 2015 accident. That incident required the pass rusher to have his right index finger amputated. To JPP’s credit, the defender played another nine seasons following that injury.

After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Steelers, Harris joined the Chargers this offseason. The RB hasn’t necessarily lived up to his first-round billing, although he has managed to top 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four NFL seasons. Harris is expected to lead the RB room in 2025, although the Chargers did use a first-round pick on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.

AFC West Notes: Bolts, Broncos, Wilkins

March 25th, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Retaining Najee Harris was believed to still be a Steelers option this winter, but the team had declined its starting running back’s fifth-year option last May. Passing on that opened the door to the 2021 first-rounder becoming a one-contract Steeler, and Harris said (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) he began to believe late last season he was on his way out. The Steelers do not negotiate with players in-season, but serious re-signing talks did not emerge this offseason. Harris landed a one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Chargers.

The Miami alum said Jim Harbaugh was a lead reason he signed with the Bolts. The team ramped up its run-game usage last season and has since cut Gus Edwards. Primary starter J.K. Dobbins is also a free agent. He of four 1,000-yard seasons, Harris is almost definitely set to start for the Bolts this season. The Steelers slapped a second-round RFA tender on Jaylen Warren and signed ex-Eagles backup Kenneth Gainwell in free agency.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

Staying on the running back beat here, the Broncos have not replaced Javonte Williams (who signed with the Cowboys). With a deep running back draft approaching, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson views it as a near-certainty the team will bolster this position come April. The Broncos hold picks in the first three rounds for the first time since 2021, before the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades depleted their draft capital. Having addressed linebacker, safety and tight end in free agency, Denver should have a clearer runway to add to its backfield during the first three rounds.
Elsewhere on Denver’s roster, the team already turned to Jonathon Cooper‘s contract — agreed to at the midseason point — as a restructure avenue. The team moved Cooper’s $4MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel, who adds the team created $3.2MM in cap space via the adjustment. The Nik Bonitto sidekick remains signed, at $13.5MM per year, through the 2028 season.
The Broncos also replaced fired inside linebacker coach Michael Wilhoite, hiring former college DC Jeff Schmedding, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Schmedding, 47, comes over after two seasons as Washington State’s DC. He was Auburn’s DC in 2022 and Boise State’s from 2019-20. This Broncos ILB post will be Schmedding’s first NFL job.
Back to the restructure topic, the Raiders cleared out cap room by turning to Christian Wilkins‘ monster deal. Las Vegas converted Wilkins’ $20.5MM roster bonus, which was due earlier this month, into a signing bonus. That will spread out the D-tackle’s cap hits over the life of the contract and free up 2025 cap room, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore indicating the team created $15MM in space. The Raiders hold $50.9MM in cap space as of Tuesday, according to OverTheCap.
Winding up some Chargers contract matters, the team added two defenders on low-end deals. The Bolts’ accord with defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand is for one year and $2.35MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding $1.93MM is guaranteed. Hand can earn another $1MM via playing-time incentives. Hand, 29, started two games for the Dolphins last season; he had previously gone since 2020 without starting a game. Linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips‘ Bolts deal is worth $2MM over one year, per OverTheCap. The team is guaranteeing Phillips $700K, between a $400K signing bonus and a partial salary guarantee, Wilson adds. Phillips, 28, will reunite with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, who was a Ravens exec during the reserve LB’s two-year run in Baltimore.

Chargers To Sign RB Najee Harris

March 11th, 2025 at 8:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 11: In terms of base value, Harris will be tied to $5.25MM in 2025, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Incentives cover the rest of the contract. While this is more than the Chargers gave Dobbins last year, it certainly checks in as less than Harris was expected to command.

MARCH 10: The Chargers’ rumored interest in Najee Harris will produce an agreement. After four Steelers seasons, Harris is heading west on a one-year deal.

Harris will sign with Los Angeles’ AFC team on a contract worth up to $9.5MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. A Bolts team that cut Gus Edwards and has not re-signed J.K. Dobbins will turn to Harris, who was the Steelers’ starting RB in each of their games since 2021.

This agreement comes hours after the Steelers placed a second-round RFA tender on Jaylen Warren. This will make the Harris three-year Harris change-of-pace option harder to pry away, but the Steelers will be in the running back market again now. Although the team was not believed to be out on Harris, not picking up his fifth-year option in 2024 provided a decent indication a 2025 separation would be acceptable.

A 2021 first-round pick out of Miami, Harris has played through injuries to start every game in his four-year career. After a 1,200-yard rookie season, Harris finished with 1,034, 1,035 and 1,043. Oozing consistency, Harris also does not bring much flash. Next Gen Stats rated him in the bottom third in rush yards over expected in 2022 and ’24, though the metric was oddly bullish on the between-the-tackles grinder in 2023.

Harris, 27, may well have a skillset that appears to Jim Harbaugh. The team did not see much from the player it previously sought as its power back — Edwards — but a newly run-oriented Bolts operation could generate plenty from Harris in 2025. Harris needing one-year deal does not bode well for his future value, however. Already accumulating 1,097 carries, the durable back will be set to log at least 200 more with the Bolts this season. That will wind his mileage to a potentially undesirable place come 2025.

Though, last year’s free agency showed teams willing to take chances on veterans at the position. Successful seasons already brought Saquon Barkley an extension and Aaron Jones a substantial raise. Derrick Henry, this generation’s RB outlier, also played himself into position for a Ravens pay bump after his 1,900-yard rushing season. Harris not being able to cash in now, after displaying durability and consistency, may be a worrying sign for his post-2025 earning potential.

Chargers Pursuing RB Najee Harris

March 10th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chargers are pursuing free agent running back Najee Harris, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Earlier today, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reported that Harris had been saying goodbye to some of his Steelers teammates, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler subsequently noted the Bolts could have interest.

Harris is more of a grinder than explosive talent, but he is about as consistent as it gets at the position. The 2021 first-rounder has played through injuries to start every game in his four-year career. After a 1,200-yard rookie season, Harris finished with 1,034, 1,035 and 1,043 over the next three. Next Gen Stats has not viewed him as an efficient ball-carrier, however, ranking him in the bottom third in rush yards over expected in 2024 and second-to-last in 2022. A finish in the top third of this metric did transpire in 2023, perhaps marking one of Harris’ few inconsistencies in a career that has also featured between six and eight rushing TDs each season.

Los Angeles is certainly in need at the running back position, as the club released Gus Edwards several days ago and could lose J.K. Dobbins to free agency. While Harris has established himself as a high-floor, low-ceiling type of player, Chargers offensive coordinator and run game guru Greg Roman — who is plenty familiar with Harris after having operated as the Ravens’ OC for the first two years of the RB’s career — may be able to help him find another level.

Even if that does not come to pass, there is plenty of value in having a steady, durable ball carrier near the top of the depth chart. Plus, regardless of whether the Chargers can push a Harris deal across the finish line, the team could certainly seek another addition in a draft lauded for its RB talent.

The Steelers will likewise be on the lookout for RB help. While Pittsburgh has retained Harris’ more dyamic running mate, Jaylen Warren, via the second-round RFA tender, the cupboard is largely bare beyond that (save for the change-of-pace looks that Cordarrelle Patterson can provide). The need for rushing talent will be heightened if the team fills its quarterback position with the 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, whose running ability will not make anyone forget Justin Fields.

Steelers Still In Play To Re-Sign Najee Harris

February 7th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not picking up Najee Harris‘ fifth-year option, the Steelers also did not conduct any known extension talks before Week 1. A team with a no-in-season negotiating policy has either left this winter window open to re-sign Harris or is prepared to move on with Jaylen Warren and a cheaper option in 2025.

Although Harris could do well on the market, the Steelers are not closing the door on re-signing him before that point. While cautioning no franchise tag is coming to keep the four-year starter off the market, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac pegs the possibility of the Steelers re-signing Harris before free agency as “strong.”

If nothing else, Harris has offered consistency in Pittsburgh. Added after the team let James Conner walk in 2021, Harris surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in all four of his seasons and has never missed a game. After a 1,200-yard rookie season, he proceeded to churn out three seasons with totals between 1,034 and 1,043 yards. Each rookie-contract season featured yards-per-carry numbers between 3.8 and 4.1. Harris certainly does not bring much flash to the equation, but he has been a productive running back. And this year’s free agent market is not set to rival 2024’s.

The Saquon Barkley– and Derrick Henry-fronted class changed teams’ outlooks, and the accomplished group helped set the market for extensions. In the months that followed, 2025 free agents-to-be Conner, Rhamondre Stevenson and Chuba Hubbard signed re-ups worth between $8.3-$9.5MM per year. Alvin Kamara, who would have become a 2025 street free agent upon being a Saints cap casualty, instead reached a compromise to stay. New Orleans extended Kamara at two years and $24.5MM. The Lions did not appear on track to release David Montgomery in the final year of his three-year deal, but the sides huddled up on a second contract — a two-year, $18.25MM pact.

As 2024 proved busy at running back, it both set a potential price range for Harris and depleted the market. While the batch of extensions points to Harris landing a deal in that ballpark, the former first-rounder could do a bit better simply because teams have limited options. Then again, a 2025 RB rookie class is viewed as much better than 2024’s; that would stand to negate potential Harris market advantages.

As it stands, Harris headlines a free agency class that includes Rico Dowdle, Javonte Williams, Aaron Jones, J.K. Dobbins and Nick Chubb. The Broncos are not expected to bring back Williams, who has not been the same since a 2022 knee injury, and two significant maladies have defined Chubb’s past two seasons. Dobbins impressed with the Chargers and should do better on this year’s market, but the ex-Raven also landed on IR yet again last season. Jones turned 30 in December; Harris will turn 27 this offseason.

Harris and Dowdle may well be the prizes on the upcoming market; the latter is coming off a 1,000-yard season but has far less mileage on his career odometer (331 carries) compared to Harris (1,097). The Steelers and Cowboys, respectively, still have until March 10 to conduct exclusive negotiations with their starters. The Steelers would stand to have a low ceiling on where they want to go with Harris, as they passed on an option year worth $6.79MM and did not see him deliver a contract year out of step with his previous work.

While Harris may still be in Pittsburgh’s plans, Dulac adds the team will follow through on tendering Warren, who is a restricted free agent. A second-round tender is projected to cost more than $5MM, which could lead the Steelers to take their chances with the low-end number — one that would not bring any compensation back in the event Pittsburgh did not match a Warren offer sheet — to conserve cash. A reality in which the Steelers pay Harris would point to Warren being given the low-end tender.

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