As the opening day of 2025 free agency closed, the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to a one-year, $5.25M contract with Najee Harris. Per Spotrac, Harris’ annual salary only ranks as the 19th-highest among running backs. After looking like the top free-agent RB this offseason, the length and value of Harris’ deal can’t be seen as anything other than disappointments for him.
With that being said, Harris could still have some reason to stay optimistic in 2025. With J.K. Dobbins a free agent and the team releasing Gus Edwards, it does not look like Harris currently has much competition for touches next season. The fact that Harris only received a one-year contract makes it possible that he is banking on the Chargers giving him all the work he can handle and then cashing in next offseason. On the other hand, the fact that he only received $5.25M guaranteed makes it possible that a rookie could come in and take over the backfield immediately.
Career in Pittsburgh
After Pittsburgh selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft, Harris broke the 300.0 PPR point barrier in his rookie season. Unfortunately, he did not have the efficiency to match, and his overall production decreased in each of the following two seasons.
Harris’ output leveled off between his third and fourth seasons, as he split time with Jaylen Warren in the Steelers’ backfield. In 2024, Harris continued his impressive streaks of rushing for 1,000 yards and playing in all 17 games. He also returned to a double-digit target share in 2024 after falling below 10% for the first time during the 2023 season.
As has been the case throughout his career, Harris convincingly outperformed his opportunity in a handful of games while putting together negative efficiency in most others.
Harris’ overall 2024 inefficiency is further explained in his advanced stats. Among the 20 running backs who earned more than 200 carries in 2024, Harris’ 3.9 yards per attempt (18th), 1.2 yards before contact (T-19th), 19% stuff percentage (T-16th), 52% hit at line percentage (20th), and 18% first down percentage (19th) all ranked in the bottom five.
What did come as somewhat of a surprise is that Harris’ 11.9% broken tackle percentage and 10.0% forced missed tackle percentage (FMT%) combined for an evasion rate that ranked as the fifth-highest out of the entire group. After never putting together higher than a 5.0% FMT% in his previous three seasons, the added wiggle in his game was a pleasant surprise.
| Player | Att | Yds/Att | YdsB4Con | YdsAfterCon | YdsAfterCon% | BT% | FMT% | EVAS% | HitAtLine% | Stuff% | DesignGap% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Najee Harris | 261 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 71% | 11.9% | 10.0% | 21.9% | 52% | 19% | 61% |
| Jaylen Warren | 122 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 75% | 12.3% | 8.0% | 20.3% | 48% | 19% | 61% |
It was also a positive to see Harris match Warren in most advanced metrics on a per-carry basis in 2024 after falling short of his backfield mate’s efficiency in the previous two seasons. While it is debatable whether 2024 represented a down year for Warren or a strong year for Harris, the gap closing between the duo’s efficiency is something to notice.
