Throughout the playoffs, Sam Wallace, Mark Drumheller, and Jonathan Fuller will be highlighting the biggest NFL free agents heading into the 2025 offseason. We'll be breaking down the best and worst landing spots as well as projecting where key players will eventually sign.

Today's subject? 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris.

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Best Landing Spots For Najee Harris in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Jonathan Fuller: Harris may not be explosive, but he's a reliable back who can handle a large workload and even catch passes when you need him to. He would be a great fit with the Denver Broncos if they want to upgrade their RB room without spending premium resources. Harris is a better version of Javonte Williams and would benefit from playing behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines in Denver. 

This wouldn't be the most exciting move that Denver could make at the position, but it would hopefully alleviate the every-down rotation that was such a nightmare for fantasy managers this season. Harris and Jaleel McLaughlin would make for a decent 1-2 punch alongside promising young QB Bo Nix. As the lead back in an ascending offense, we could easily see Najee's best fantasy season in 2025.

Mark Drumheller: Harris is a workhorse in every sense of the word. The four-year veteran broke through the 1,000-yard mark every season of his young career. He doesn’t cut on a dime. He is not going to rip off chunks of yardage. However, if you want to add a physical element to your rushing attack, Harris is a proven commodity.  

There is one perfect fit for Harris’ style — the Los Angeles Chargers. 

I’m not saying L.A. will pursue him. But if I were Najee Harris, I would make sure my agent had Jim Harbaugh’s number (and maybe a reservation at his favorite restaurant). With J.K. Dobbins’ looming free agency, L.A. might see the value in the consistency and durability of Harris. 

What’s not to like about Los Angeles? Sunshine, Justin Herbert, and a proven head coach who will always prioritize the offensive line. Years 5-7 are a pivotal point for a running back, so I’d want to see Harris spend them with a team that really values his skillset. I’m sure he won’t miss those Pittsburgh winters. 

Sam Wallace: Not only did last season bring us some significant RB movement in free agency, it resulted in those RBs having impressive seasons with their new teams (Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones).

While this RB class has some solid names, it appears to have neither the firepower nor fantasy-relevant intrigue as last year's free agent class.

Najee Harris managers have been living off his Year 1 production for far too long. In his rookie season, Harris benefited from having Ben Roethlisberger target him 94 times in his final season as the Steelers QB. It was highly unlikely that Harris would ever see that level of involvement in the passing game ever again.

Harris is what he is as a rusher — in four seasons he's averaged:

  • 274 rushing attempts
  • 1,079 rushing yards (3.9 YPC)
  • 7 TDs

He's good, not great. To his credit, availability is the best ability, especially for an RB, and he's played in 17 games in four straight seasons. However, he's inefficient as a rusher and has gone two full seasons since catching a TD pass.

For fantasy purposes, his best landing spot is probably where he's at. Fellow RB Jaylen Warren, who profiles as a more effective pass-catching option, is a restricted free agent, so we'll see what Pittsburgh decides to do at the position this offseason.

The more I dive into free agents across the league, the more I start to realize that the grass isn't always greener somewhere else. Yes, if players can get paid elsewhere I totally understand it. However, from a fantasy perspective, Pittsburgh makes too much sense.

Worst Landing Spots For Najee Harris in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Jonathan Fuller: I'm getting tired of saying it, but the Las Vegas Raiders are the worst landing spot for most free agents this offseason. We've already covered their shortcomings as a rush offense in previous editions of this series, but now we also know that they won't be landing Ben Johnson as their head coach. Johnson wasn't the only good option, but he is considered the best young offensive mind of this cycle and would have been an early reason for optimism for Raiders fans.

Harris can excel in the right scheme with a solid offensive line, but he doesn't create much on his own, as evidenced by his -0.01 rush yards over expected per attempt in 2024. As of now, we don't know what the scheme will be in Las Vegas, and they have a lot of work to do just to have league average offensive line play. A lot can change in the offseason, but the Raiders have plenty of work to do before I could get excited about Najee Harris signing there.

Mark Drumheller: I’m going to go against the grain. Maybe a move to Las Vegas wouldn’t be the worst thing for Najee Harris? Or maybe I just like to add some chaos to the conversation.

Considering Harris’ usage over his first four seasons, I think the worst landing spot would be any team that doesn’t make him the featured back. If we take out the high-end destinations (L.A., Minnesota), I think his free-agency could go one of two ways. Harris will either secure the bag with a bad team (Raiders), or he can prioritize playing a lesser role for a contending team. The problem with the latter is that his fantasy value will likely take a hit in an offense with more playmakers around him.

I think both Denver and Cleveland could be situations where Harris ends up in a committee. Cleveland has more question marks at this point, so I will go with the Browns. If Harris ends up on a rebuilding Browns team without any solution at quarterback, his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons could be in serious jeopardy.

Sam Wallace: Is this turning into a twice-weekly occurrence where the Raiders are catching strays from our writers?

Probably.

To be fair, it's not without cause. The Raiders have both a ton of cap space and multiple needs, especially on the offensive side of the ball. If they think a bruising option like Harris fits what they want in their backfield, under whatever head coach they end up hiring, they could make Harris an offer that other teams can't/won't.

However, a team that is realistically a couple years away from making a deep playoff run probably shouldn't be tossing the bag to a veteran RB, regardless of how reliable or dependable he's been. It made sense for the aforementioned veterans like Henry and Barkley to get contracts because those teams were/are legit contenders.

Selfishly, as a fantasy manager, I don't want to see Harris wind up with the Raiders (or the Giants, for all the same reasons as were just mentioned).

Where Will Najee Harris Play in 2025?

Jonathan Fuller: I'm not reading too much into the Steelers' decision to decline his fifth year option, so if I had to bet right now my money would be on Najee returning to Pittsburgh for 2025 and beyond. His production through four years isn't enough to command a premium free agent contract, and the 2025 rookie class is deep, which will allow plenty of RB-needy teams to address the position in the draft. 

Harris seems well-liked in Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin isn't going anywhere, so the most logical conclusion is that they keep their veteran RB in the fold and look to improve at other positions (looking at you, Russ) in order to break their playoff win drought.

Mark Drumheller: Najee Harris will be a Raider in 2025 — and that’s OK. I get the impression that the Steelers will want to add a more explosive element to their running game. That’ll leave Harris looking for a new home in the open market. 

Maxx Crosby let it be known that he would be more than welcome in Las Vegas. Besides, isn’t this what bad teams do? Sign high-usage running backs at the top of the market instead of addressing the offensive line. 

From Harris’ perspective, it would make sense to financially maximize his value at this point in his career. He would likely get a prominent role in an offense with a lot of holes. Is that really that bad? 

Sam Wallace: It's getting to be a theme in this series. Let's keep these pending free agents where they are so they can run it back with their current franchises. Keep Harris in the Steel City.

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