Najee Harris Reflects on Time with Steelers: ‘It Was Interesting Years There, I’ll Just Say That’
Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris gave an ambiguous answer when asked about his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers during a one-on-one interview with CBS Los Angeles.
“My time in Pittsburgh, it was a lot of learning things, a lot of learning experiences,” Harris said. “Playing for Mike T, playing in that division, there were a lot of ways I didn’t even realize what the NFL was really about until I came to Pittsburgh.
“I don’t want to go into detail with it, but I feel there was a lot of stuff in my game where I could’ve elevated more and I could’ve did more. I feel like I just didn’t get it done. I feel like I was obviously missing something. … It was interesting years there, I’ll just say that. Interesting years.”
After taking a tour of the Chargers facility before his press conference, Harris also took a bit of a shot at the Pittsburgh facilities while speaking with the L.A. media.
“It’s a great weight room, first of all,” Harris said. “Even the facility, is all great things. A lot of things that they provide here you can take advantage of. I was telling them, it’s not like this everywhere, man. This is a special thing right here. It reminded me of college at Alabama, all the resources that we have. So just getting the chance to take advantage of all these opportunities is a blessing. And I was telling him, y’all have a great thing going on right now. It’s not like this everywhere. It’s not. Man, yeah, I’m just happy to be here.”
For the second year in a row, the Steelers did not receive favorable reviews in the NFLPA’s annual facilities report card. The Steelers once again were ranked No. 28 out of 32 teams.
The Steelers made some improvements, most notably by adding a gameday daycare for players. That raised their family support grade from an F- to a C-. But overall, the Steelers are still lacking in several key departments.
During his introductory press conference with the Chargers, Harris also revealed the exact moment when he knew his time with the Steelers was come to a conclusion. The writing was pretty much on the wall before the season started, as the Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option.
“Me and Coach T, we’re pretty close in certain ways, so I knew what was coming. I didn’t plan on doing it,” Harris said. “It wasn’t something that was in the plan or anything, but it is a business. I just knew that it would be my last year. Maybe like a couple games, maybe like halfway through the end of the season I kind of knew that.”
The Steelers drafted Harris with the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, Harris has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons as a professional. This past season, he went for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns on 263 carries. Harris, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis and LaDainian Tomlinson are the only RBs since 2000 to enter the NFL with four-straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Despite taking his lumps, he was durable for the Steelers, having not missed a game for the team. It ultimately came down to a business decision to not place the fifth-year option on Harris.
“Man, I’ve got a lot of respect for Naj. He’s had, what, 1,000 yards every year he was in the league?” Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward said on his Not Just Football podcast. “I think that is very underrated. And fans always wanted more but didn’t understand the work Najee put in — one of the hardest workers. Sometimes, you gotta protect him from himself. But when it came to ball, Naj was always locked in. Great person. … I think he’s going to have a bright future there. He’s already a West Coast guy, so it feels like a match made in heaven.”
The Steelers play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in 2025.