An Achilles tear derailed Najee Harris's Chargers season. Now a free agent, his return hinges on opportunity and potential rebuilding.
One of the more interesting signings for the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago was Najee Harris. After four consecutive 1,000+ rushing yard seasons, plus a total of 34 touchdowns and 1,000+ receiving yards, Harris should've been the toast of the free agent market.
Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed very little interest in re-signing Harris and the free agent market didn't think he was the type of running back worthy of a superstar contract. And, in today's NFL, running backs are either getting paid like superstars or like easily replaceable parts.
Harris decided, instead, to bet on himself. He signed a one-year deal with the Chargers, who were looking for a replacement for J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. He saw the opportunity, playing behind a top-tier QB and for a head coach that believes in running the ball, and thought he could create short and long-term financial gains for himself.
In the short term, his contract was almost entirely based on production. The guaranteed portion of the contract was for just $5.25M, but he had the following bonus structure attached to it:
Rushing Yard Incentive (cumulative):
1,050: $500,0001,150: $500,0001,250: $1M1,350: $1M1,450: $1M
- 1,050: $500,000
- 1,150: $500,000
- 1,250: $1,000,000
- 1,350: $1,000,000
- 1,450: $1,000,000
First of all, the most rushing yards Harris has ever had in a season was exactly 1,200 and he did that his rookie season. It's not like this was a particularly risky bet for the Chargers to take on, but if he rushed for more than 1,450 yards the team would've paid him $9.25M before sending him off to unrestricted free agency.
Instead, Harris had a terrible time as a Chargers player, not that it was the team's fault. He was delayed getting into Training Camp after sustaining an eye injury due to a mishap with Fourth of July fireworks. As such, he was still ramping into shape once the season began.
In Week 1, Harris touched the ball exactly twice (for a total of 10 yards). In Week 2, that number jumped up to 10 touches (and 48 total yards). This was a good start.
Halfway through the 2nd quarter of a Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos, Harris crumpled over immediately following the snap of the ball. The slow-motion replay showed his left ankle pop as he tried to push forward, the tell-tale sign of an Achilles tear. The injury was officially confirmed the same day.
With a good chunk of the NFL looking for inexpensive proven help in the backfield, Harris' name keeps surfacing in free agency this offseason. Will the Cowboys pony up to have Harris replace a departing Miles Sanders? Would the Seahawks trust him to replace Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker on their roster? Or....might the Chargers bring him back?
The only RBs on the Chargers roster right now are Omarion Hampton, who struggled to stay healthy his rookie season, and Amar Johnson. It's expected that they'll probably bring back Kimani Vidal, who stepped up when Harris and Hampton were both out with injury, but it's possible that the same calculus that led them to sign Harris last offseason would still exist as they attempt to rebuild their running attack in 2026.