Former Steelers RB Najee Harris has signed with the Chargers on a one-year deal worth up to $9.25 million. The former first round pick fits the Jim Harbaugh mold, but a mere one-year deal opens the door for the Chargers to sign or draft another RB.
Adam Schefter of ESPN: "Source: Chargers reached agreement with former Steelers RB Najee Harris on a one-year deal worth up to $9.25 million."
Harris fits the hard-nosed run first offense for the Chargers. Though he has disappointed fantasy managers, he has strung together four straight 1,000 yard seasons to start his career.
The Chargers RB room is made up of Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal currently, shedding J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards from last year's team.
Despite opening the year as a run-leaning offense, and playing under HC and OC with run-heavy histories, the Chargers ranked just 21st last season in RB touches. The main reason: No team tallied fewer RB receptions.
The Chargers clearly view Harris as an upgrade over Dobbins (a free agent) and Edwards (released).
He's heading into his age-27 season, has averaged 15+ carries in all four of his seasons, and has averaged 2.6 receptions per game for his career (17-game pace: 44.2 receptions).
There's potential for Harris' workload to rise with the Chargers vs. his final two Steelers seasons.
The one-year deal makes this dynasty valuation challenging.
Our historical aging data says Harris should have at least a couple more near-peak seasons before hitting the age-29 campaign that has traditionally seen RB decline.
If Harris shows out this year, he might be able to land one good multi-year deal. It's a little troubling, though, that he couldn't do better in the same offseason that saw a 30-year-old Aaron Jones get $20 million over two years.
Harris should be a solid-to-good fantasy option for this year. But he still makes sense as a dynasty sell if you find a league mate particularly excited about the landing spot.
Kimani Vidal might wind up a loser here, but we'll see how the rest of the offseason plays out.
We certainly didn't expect him to lead the 2025 backfield off a near-silent rookie year. Harris looks like a high-volume addition. But the one-year pact also shows light commitment.
If the Chargers add a significant RB in the draft, then Vidal will be in trouble. If they don't, he might have a shot at No. 2 on the depth chart.
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