Raiders Superstar is Recruiting Steelers' Najee Harris
If running back Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers don't reunite next season, he should have no issue finding a landing spot elsewhere in the NFL.
Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby has already made his case for Harris to join him in Sin City, referencing his contributions both on and off the field as a primary reason why he'd be a good fit.
“Why not?" Crosby said. "He’s from the Bay. Najee’s a baller. Anybody that could help when it comes to winning and being a culture guy, a leader, that’s the type of guy I want around. You’ve seen Najee, he’s played four years in the league and has had 1000 yards every season. That alone is impressive. He is a tough (expletive) and hard to tackle, too. I’d love to have a guy like Najee around. Selfishly, he could come to Vegas all day.”
As Crosby noted, Harris has a connection to the Raiders organization given that he grew up in the Bay Area while the team still played in Oakland, so perhaps that could draw him to the silver and black upon hitting free agency this offseason.
The 26-year-old ran for 106 yards and a touchdown against Las Vegas during a 32-13 Steelers victory in Week 6, so it seems he left quite the impression on Crosby with one of his best performances of the year.
Harris has been a staple of Pittsburgh's offense over the past four campaigns after being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, rushing for 4,312 yards and 28 scores over that stretch, but the writing has been on the wall for his exit from the team ever since his fifth-year option was declined last offseason.
The Steelers have plenty of holes to fill in the coming months, and it doesn't appear as though retaining Harris is a priority at this point in time, opening a path for him to sign with the Raiders or another franchise with a need at running back.