Running back Najee Harris signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, joining Jim Harbaugh's club after four seasons with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. The former Steeler hasn't had glowing remarks about his old club since leaving town.
In an interview with KCAL's Chris Hayre, Harris discussed the transition from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett and noted that the Steelers didn't have veteran leaders on offense to learn and grow from.
"It was just a team where we lost Ben, we lost the O-line, we just didn't know anything on offense really, we didn't have any identity," Harris said. "We had a young guy coming in at QB. I was young. The team was young. I really didn't have nobody to almost learn from on the offensive side. I think the veteran guy on that team was a two, three-year vet. And he's still learning himself. And I'm coming in and I'm just trying to look for people to pick their brain and it was just defensive guys. So I'd go to the defensive guys and talk to them, but there wouldn't be too much they could tell me about offensive things. So, through my years, I've learned a lot that only I learned first-hand. And I feel like [in L.A.], like we've got a lot of veterans that I can learn even more stuff from, even at the quarterback position, and the O-line position. So it was an interesting year there, I'll just say that. Interesting year."
In four years in Pittsburgh, Harris generated at least 1,000 yards in each campaign, but his high mark came that rookie season with Roethlisberger at the helm, when he earned a Pro Bowl bid with 1,200 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Playing behind an offensive line in rebuild mode for much of his four years didn't help, but the lack of explosion and second-level winning was an issue with the first-round running back.
Things seemed to sour for Harris when the club declined his fifth-year option, indicating that they'd likely move on from the back.
Harris cited Harbaugh as a reason he joined the Chargers, noting his relationship dating back to the recruiting trail in high school. That L.A. sought out the big back early in free agency highlights its plan to give him a big chunk of the workload. The Chargers have some questions on the interior offensive line, but the scheme under Greg Roman should fit Harris well, potentially providing him with more runway before contact. Playing alongside Justin Herbert after years of QB shuffling will also be a nice change of pace for the running back.
The upside in Harris' contract, a one-year, $5.25 million deal with $4 million in incentives, underscores that the Chargers are willing to pay if he produces big numbers in a new scheme far away from Pittsburgh.
Harris' comments are sure to resurface when the Steelers visit SoFi Stadium to take on the Chargers in 2025.
