The Pittsburgh Steelers made the wise decision to move on from former first-round pick Najee Harris this offseason. While he had his own fan club, the team recognized his deficiencies as a runner.
It looked like he found a good home with the Chargers. It seemed like the perfect place to revitalize his career and prove that he was capable of having a good second half of his career.
Instead, his 2025 has been nothing short of a disaster.
The Chargers turned around after signing Harris and drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round. Fine, two backs can thrive in a run-heavy Chargers offense. Then the fireworks injury cost Harris the majority of the offseason.
He entered the season as the clear second option, and it just hit a new low in Week 3. Harris tore his Achilles tendon, and his 2025 season is over.
The season isn’t the only thing that is over, though, as Harris may have just played his last meaningful snaps in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have just watched Najee Harris’s career come to an end
Achilles injuries are some of the toughest to overcome. While players can usually return healthy just before a year after suffering the injury, you aren’t truly back to 100 percent until closer to two years.
While Harris can certainly play next year, he likely won’t be at full strength. It could be two to three years before his burst and speed are back to how it was before.
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Given Harris’s age (he’ll be 28 next year), he can’t afford to lose that athleticism. Not known for his long speed, he doesn’t have any burst he can afford to lose. He will become even more of a plodder than he already is.
It looked like Harris had found a great second home following four seasons with the Steelers. Like James Connor a few seasons ago (who also may have just suffered a career-ending injury this weekend), Harris hoped to prove that he could still go.
Now he has a long road to recovery and has no pending deal for 2025. He only signed a one-year deal this offseason. That means teams could quickly look past him and assume that he won’t be a difference maker in 2026.
If his speed truly does get zapped, it is hard to see Harris ever being a starting running back in the NFL again. His mediocre NFL career may have just come to an abrupt halt before his career renaissance ever got underway.